


Flight Of Fate

by TigereyesF



Category: Thranduil - Fandom
Genre: Angry Thranduil, Angst, Author Likes To Respond, Catastrophic Accident, Death, Explicit Thranduil, F/M, Healing, Heartache, Modern AU, Parent Thranduil, Protective Thranduil, Red Hot Thranduil, Secrets, Thranduil Love, Thranduil Lust, Thranduil Sex, comments welcome, hidden past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-24 15:47:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 66,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21800434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TigereyesF/pseuds/TigereyesF
Summary: Kira boards a flight heading home after a business meeting. What appears to be a routine flight ends up having a catastrophic accident, resulting in the most harrowing, life-changing events she could ever have envisioned. A blonde-haired saviour rescues her and becomes her pillar of support as she struggles to find her bearings, and one thing leads to another before they are cruelly torn apart.One year later, and Thranduil is beside himself with grief over what happened during the flight, but more so the aftermath. His heart is aching for the love he found and lost within a matter of days, and his life has ground to a halt as he tries to function. Out of the blue, Kira walks back into his life, but panics and vanishes. As he tracks her down, he is confronted with the biggest shock of his life.But Kira's hiding something. And that something is going to put a black cloud over everything as Thranduil fights to uncover her secrets and protect her from an enemy that he can't see.
Relationships: Thranduil/OFC
Comments: 244
Kudos: 158





	1. Crash And Burn

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Wenderful52](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wenderful52/gifts).



** CHAPTER ONE – CRASH AND BURN  **

Kira smiled at the elderly couple in front of her as she side-stepped around them. She swerved round a group of teenagers who were laughing heartily over something on one of their cell phones. Hoards of people were dotted around; either in groups or standing solitary. A constant low murmer of noise filled the vast space as they conversed. The airport was crowded, with travellers and their baggage spread out as far as the eye could see.

She adjusted her bag to a more comfortable position on her shoulder as she approached the check-in desk, where an immaculately made up assistant beamed a smile in her direction.

“Good morning, ma’am. My name is Alex,” she chirped. “May I see your ticket?”

“Of course,” she replied, slid it out of her pocket and pushed it across the gleaming desk.

Alex checked the details off against the computer screen set slightly to her side. “Everything’s in order, ma’am,” she informed her. “If you need anything at all, please ask any staff member. Here is your boarding pass, and I hope you have a very pleasant flight.” Another smile accompanied her words, and Kira silently concluded that even the sun would seem dim in comparison.

“Thankyou, Alex,” she said with a smile of her own. She took the pass and folded it to fit it in her pocket.

“Have a nice day,” the assistant said in a sing-song voice as she turned to leave.

“You too.” Her eyebrows lifted briefly as she walked across the highly polished floor, wondering how on earth the woman could work an eight hour day with her smile plastered on to such a degree. Sure, customer service and all that, but her expression could have put the Joker to shame.

She climbed the steps to the upper level which housed a comfortable-looking coffee shop. Like the rest of the airport, it was packed. She had to climb over several small mountains of luggage as she made her way to the serving counter, and requested a black coffee. Within a couple of minutes, she was squashed into a seat next to the window, where she had an amazing view of the various aircraft landing. Eventually she became rather bored, and turned her gaze to assess her surroundings.

Music played from the sound system in the corner of the coffee shop. Passengers of all races and ages congregated throughout the area. Cell phones chirped. Messages beeped. Laptops pinged. Slices of conversation drifted past her ears. A child was crying hysterically down on the lower floor. An elderly woman slowly made her way towards the check-in desk leaning heavily on her tripod walker. Somebody went past the coffee shop handing out flyers. A mother emerged out of the perfume store with two youngsters trailing after her, the bag over her arm chock-full of what was no doubt highly expensive perfume. A burst of rambunctious laughter from a group of young men made her jump slightly. Attendants drifted through the crowds as they picked up dropped garbage and tidied around the passengers. The lines at the check-in desk grew more each time she glanced down.

Heaving a sigh, she took a sip of her coffee and took her book out of her shoulder bag. She turned to the third chapter and blocked out the chaos around her as she settled back to where she’d left off the previous night. The author had managed to intrigue her as he’d written about a serial killer rampaging around the streets of Chicago, leaving a trail of gruesome slaughter in his wake. Not knowing who the murderer was, Kira had already mentally chalked up a few guesses.

An hour later, she blinked and lifted her gaze from the pages as an overly-cheerful announcement echoed over the tannoy system, calling all passengers for flight Charlie Tango 3957 to proceed to Gate thirteen. Several clusters of people around her rose from their seats and began collecting their belongings.

She folded the page in her book and slid it back into her bag as she rose to her feet. Murmering a soft apology to the man beside her, she stepped around him and walked out of the coffee shop and along towards gate thirteen. Other passengers streamed around her along the way as they all turned along the long walkway heading along to the departure gate.

After giving her boarding pass to a flight attendant whose smile was even brighter than Alex’s, she was shown to her seat and left to settle herself. Her shoulder bag was safely stored away in the overhead locker, and she lowered herself into the comfortable aisle seat. A man in his mid fifties sat in the window seat and nodded politely to her as she claimed hers.

Her attention wandered during the routine safety announcement, having heard it a thousand times over. Her thoughts turned to returning home, to the cosy apartment she shared with her room-mate from college, and the comfort of her own room. The trip although a relatively short one, had seemed to drag on and she’d spent the entire four days desperate to return to her private space.

The attendants finally took their seats as the aircraft turned onto the runway, and she blinked in mild surprise as she realised that she hadn’t even been aware of taxiing from the terminal. The engines went silent for a few moments before roaring to life, and she felt the powerful thrust as the plane awoke from a lethargic state and prepared to do something major. Her head leaned back against the headrest as the power soared through the massive body, the gravity pushing her against the back of the seat as the plane hurtled down the runway. Her adrenalin rose and she smiled; she loved take-off.

The tarmac beneath the wheels fell away as the aircraft lifted off and climbed. The popping in her ears gradually ceased as they reached the desired altitude and levelled out. Neon green seatbelt signs vanished and a collective sigh of relief drifted around the cabin, making her smile again. People were always nervous during take-off or landing, and yet those were the parts of a flight that she loved. Once airborne, she found the flight reasonably dull and boring, but coming in and out was the adrenalin rush for her. She crossed one jean-clad leg over the other, and waited for the stewardess to come round with the trolley.

*****

Partway through the flight, Kira yawned and closed her book. The on board meal had left much to be desired, and she was hungry. The single glass of wine hadn’t settled in her stomach, neither did the cheap branded coffee that had followed. Dry, hard roasted potatoes and beef thin enough to spit through curdled in her stomach as she thought of a perfect home-cooked meal.

The aircraft lurched as it hit turbulence, and the seatbelt light flashed on above her. She sighed and fastened the belt. Others around her did likewise.

“Attention all passengers, this is Captain Barkley,” the tannoy announced. “We will be experiencing some minor disturbance due to oncoming turbulence. Please be assured there is nothing to be concerned over, and we will be flying more smoothly within a few minutes. Please remain seated with your seatbelts secure, and thankyou for your cooperation.”

She noticed the flight attendants taking their designated seats, and wondered just how bad the crew expected the turbulence to be. A dense silence blanketed the passengers as the plane lurched, and levelled out again. Several moments of instability occurred, and Kira breathed evenly throughout each one. Such things were common while flying, and generally didn’t give her any cause for concern.

True enough, after a short while, they settled into a smoother flight, and once again the seatbelt lights pinged off. The cabin crew moved from their seats and began moving around the aircraft once more.

She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, with the thought that she might as well just relax for the remainder of the flight. Several emails needed a response from her, but she decided that procrastination was a good idea and they could wait until she was home again. By the time she dragged her bag from the locker and rooted around looking for her phone, she could have had a short nap in preparation for landing. The fleecy blanket provided by the airline felt soft and warm as she pulled it up over herself and wrapped it around her shoulders.

Her eyes flew open a few moments later as an unfamiliar noise met her ears. A loud grinding and banging could be heard, and she whipped her head round in alarm to see if anyone else had noticed it.

The noise grew louder, and several people looked up.

Two of the flight crew stopped mid-stride along the aisle and looked at one another.

Screams rang out as the cabin floor suddenly collapsed, dropping several feet. Seats dropped sharply, still attached to the fallen floor. Assorted items flew through the air; cups, plates, books, bags, cell phones, magazines. Kira gripped the armrest of her seat as she sucked a huge lungful of air in. Her heart hammered ferociously and she lost a sense of where she was.

The screaming grew louder, more shrill. Lights flickered on and off in the cabin several times, finally staying off and plunging the aircraft into darkness. The grinding and banging noise increased in volume, and the screaming rose to a deafening level. The floor further along the plane dropped.

She gasped in fright as the aircraft plunged into a steep drop. Oxygen masks bounced down from the ceiling, way out of reach of any of the passengers in the section. Debris rained all around her as everything not fixed to a surface fell forwards. The plane dived hard, and she forced herself to quell the scream rising in the back of her throat. Her body banged hard against something solid as the aircraft lurched sideways, and her scream involuntarily escaped as it went into a roll.

Seconds ticked past, feeling like hours. Every passenger on board screamed for help, cried, or shouted in wild panic. Baggage stored in the overhead cabins crashed down around them in the darkness as they continued to plummet downwards.

The air became almost non-existent, making it increasingly difficult to breathe as chaos erupted to volcanic levels throughout the plane. Kira’s arms were sore as she clung for dear life to her seat. Pain arced along her arms and up across her shoulders. The downward dive seemed to go on and on and on, and she knew deep within her heart that nothing could be done to save the stricken flight.

An almighty _boom_ echoed throughout the aircraft simultaneously with a huge collision. She screamed as she was thrown from her seat and her body slammed hard into the ceiling. The plane continued to careen forwards, bumping and jarring viciously over uneven terrain. The body of the craft twisted and rolled over several times.

She managed to lift both hands to shield her ears as a resounding boom ripped from further down the plane. Waves of heat shot along towards her, and she instinctively rolled behind a dislodged seat. Wondering briefly where the occupant was, she huddled down and wrapped her arms around her knees. Intense heat surrounded her and she began choking on thick, heavy smoke. Around her, people continued to scream and cry. The sound of metal violently tearing and shearing reached her. Her head banged against something solid as they still hurtled forwards, and everything went black.

*****

Kai slowly opened her eyes.

Everything was still around her.

No screams.

No cries.

Nothing.

Just the sound of crackling and burning, and the intolerable stench that accompanied it.

A gasp of pain tore free as she tried to wriggle out of her hunched-over position. Several seats had come loose and were piled around her, and she painfully tried to push them off her. Construction parts had become entangled and twisted, and she couldn’t move. Pain sliced through her, and she knew that she needed to shift if she was going to survive.

“Help!” she yelled as loud as she could. “Help! Is anyone there? Heeeeeelp!”

Silence was her only answer.

Panic set in.

“Help!” she screamed again. “Somebody help!”

Nothing.

Dragging a deep breath into her lungs, she shoved as hard as she could against the seats blocking her. One slowly shifted a little, dragging another one with it. She panted hard as she leaned her head against the wall of the cabin, then pushed again. A little more. Another breath. Another push.

Eventually she created enough space for her to crawl through, but yelped in agony as she attempted to move. She glanced down, but saw nothing in the darkness. A hand gingerly felt over her thigh, and she realised that something had dug into the flesh. Her hand came away warm and wet, and she panicked a little more.

She was bleeding.

Tears trickled down her cheeks as the realisation that she was very probably going to die kicked in. Her chest heaved as she fought for control. Going hysterical wouldn’t solve anything. She had to calm down and try to think rationally.

She grunted and clenched her teeth hard as she slowly pried herself away from the metal shard that was embedded in her leg. Unable to stop herself, she screamed as loudly as she could as the spike tore free. Warm fluid flooded over her thigh.

Her head flipped up as she heard something.

“Hello?” she called. “Is anybody there?”

“Hello?” a muffled voice called back.

She gasped. Somebody had survived. She wasn’t alone. “Over here!” she shouted.

“Keep calling so I can follow the sound,” the voice shouted back.

“Over here!” she yelled. “I’m trapped under seats near the back!”

A muffled curse drifted past her after a loud thump.

“Are you alright?” she shouted. “Where are you?”

“I’m on my way,” the response came. It sounded distinctively male, with an accent. “Keep talking. I am getting closer, I think.”

“Be careful,” she pleaded, and her voice cracked slightly on her words as tears flowed down her cheeks. “Please be careful.”

“I’m trying to be,” he called back. “Where were you seated?”

“About six or seven rows from the back,” she answered. “On the right hand side. Although that doesn’t account for much right now, I guess.”

“Don’t worry, you’re getting louder and clearer,” he told her. More muffled thumps and bangs sounded. “I can’t be too far away from you by now.”

She sniffed and leaned her head against the side of the seat she was squashed up against. “We’re going to die.”

A derisive snort sounded. “No. We are not. We have come through this, and we are _not_ giving up,” he said. Several crashes and bangs sounded, and then everything went silent.

Kira looked up, and her breathing rate increased. “I think I can see you, sort of,” she said. “I can make out something…” A squeal left her as a hand touched her arm.

“I’ve found you,” he said, and she felt him kneeling beside her and feeling around. “How badly are you hurt? I heard you scream.”

“S…something slashed into my leg,” she stammered. “But I don’t think anything’s in there. I’m bleeding, I think.”

Large, warm hands shifted as he assessed her condition and position in the darkness. “I need to move these damned seats,” he muttered, almost to himself. “You seem to be stuck here…give me a minute…” He moved again, and the pressure of the seats eased from her as he shifted them a little. “Can you move?”

“I think so,” she panted, gritting her teeth against the pain that coursed through her entire body. “I…I think so…” She managed to turn over onto her knees and crawl forwards until she was clear of the haphazard debris around her. She collapsed onto her stomach, shaking and trembling.

“We have to get clear of the wreckage,” he said gently. His hands moved swiftly and she felt him tying something around her injured leg. “We don’t know how safe we are here, and the whole thing could go up in flames at any time.”

Sniffing hard, she nodded and slowly peeled herself from the floor. A firm hand helped her to rise, and she hesitated as she balanced her weight on her knees. “Just give me a minute, please,” she whispered. “So much pain…”

“Do you think anything is broken?” he asked.

Her head shook in the darkness. “No. I don’t think so. I just feel like I’ve been smashed off a block of solid concrete several times over.”

“In effect, we have,” he replied. His hand supported her as she carefully got to her feet. “Take it easy.”

She swayed, grabbing hold of something as she tried to regulate the dizziness. That something was the strong bicep of the arm that held her upright. “Sorry.”

“It is fine,” he told her. “Our best bet is to try to get further along. There is a blast of cool air; I suspect the body of the plane has ruptured somewhere.”

Careful steps slowly took them from where they were standing and further down the body of the aircraft. The cool breeze was in fact present, and seemed to become cooler the further they went. Obstructions of all shapes and sizes blocked their path, and it seemed like hours passed before they reached the source of the air.

Kira tilted her head up and gasped.

Stars were clearly visible in the inky black sky.

“Oh my God,” she whispered. “We shouldn’t be alive.”

“But we are,” her saviour said in determination. “And we are going to stay as such. Stay here for a moment; I’m going to see how far it is to the ground.”

Her head flipped towards him as she felt him disappear. “Where are you going?” she squeaked.

“Don’t worry, I am right here,” he told her, his voice sounding from a few feet beneath her. “We’ve landed on the ground, so you should be able to jump free quite easily.”

“I can’t,” she whispered, and started to hyperventilate. “I can’t do it.”

“What’s your name?” he asked gently.

“Kira,” she replied in a shaky voice.

“Ok. Now listen to me, Kira. You’ve managed this far, and you’re almost clear of the wreckage,” he told her. His voice was strong but gentle as he spoke. “It’s unsafe to stay within the plane. I’m right here, and I’ll help you down. You have nothing to worry about. Please trust me.”

_I have no choice,_ she thought. The moonlight shone on the figure below her, and somewhere in the back of her mind, she clocked that he had very long hair. “Ok…I’m going to do it,” she decided.

“Lean down and give me your hands,” he told her.

She hesitantly complied, and his warm hands took hers in a firm, reassuring grip. He placed them onto his shoulders, and put his own on her waist.

“When you’re ready, just step forwards,” he said. “You will not fall, I promise.”

She took a deep breath and did as he prompted. He immediately took her weight and lowered her to her feet before him.

“You alright?” he asked.

She could hear genuine concern in his voice. “Yes,” she managed. “I think so.” It took a few seconds for her to realise that she was gripping his shoulders with a death grip, and the fact that her arms were significantly raised meant he was very tall. Much taller than her. She hastily withdrew them and hung them at her sides. “What now?”

A short silence followed as he tilted his head to survey their surroundings. “It’s impossible to see anything,” he sighed. “I think we need to find shelter until daylight. Somewhere comfortable and secure to rest, if nothing else. We can figure out a lot more once the sun comes up.”

She nodded. “Any ideas?”

Another short silence. “We could really do with the survival kit from inside, but we have no hope of finding it now,” he said eventually. “Perhaps it would be best if we take shelter under the trees.”

The blanket of black around them shifted in the breeze, and she realised that they were surrounded by forestry on all sides. “It’s going to be a long night,” she said quietly.

“At least it is one that we are alive for,” was his reply.


	2. Survival

** CHAPTER TWO – SURVIVAL **

Dawn approached bringing a light shower of rain with it. The night had been cold and long, and both Kira and her mystery companion had struggled to doze off as they’d sat under the canopy of the trees. The chill of the breeze had intensified through the dark hours, succeeding in keeping both of them awake despite their sheer exhaustion.

As the daylight slowly crept over the land, both looked towards one another to assess who they were stranded with.

Kira’s eyes widened as she gazed at the man sitting several feet from her with his back against a tree. His hair was the lightest blonde and the longest length she’d ever seen on a male, reaching to his waist and poker straight. Eyes that were an ice blue in colour gazed silently back at her as she stared at him. A perfectly straight nose led her eyes down towards a plump, full mouth. His cheekbones were perfect; sculpted by an other-worldly force that would rival Earth’s most talented artists. His arms rested on drawn-up knees that indicated extremely long legs. He sat patiently the whole time she perused him.

Likewise, he was quietly absorbing details about her.

Deep blue eyes fringed with thick dark lashes blinked slowly as she met his stare. The deep blue was edged with darker blue, and he knew instinctively that those eyes saw a lot more than anything she would ever speak of. Her mouth was curved slightly as she pulled one side in, obviously making her mind up about what she saw. Long straight hair fell over her shoulders down past her waist; locks which held a trace of deep purple in the blackness. Her fleecy top was partially unzipped and gave a glimpse of a deep cleavage. Tight denims hugged legs which appeared to be fairly long, ending in a pair of black and white Nike sneakers.

“Am I what you expected?” he teased after a long time had passed.

“Not even close,” she replied immediately, and smiled. “I’m not even going to ask how long it’s taken you to grow your hair to that length.”

He glanced down towards his right shoulder at the blonde tresses that trailed down his torso, and shrugged. “It’s hair,” he rationalised. “I get strange looks from both genders because of it. It doesn’t bother me. I’ve always had it long.”

“You suit it,” she decided with a nod. “A lot of guys couldn’t carry it off, but you really do suit it.”

“Thankyou.” He inclined his head slightly. “How do you feel this morning? I gather you did not sleep much through the night?”

She shook her head. “No. I was too cold. Sore. Exhausted. Scared. Shocked.”

“I think you’re holding up really well,” he said softly.

“For a woman?” One eyebrow rose.

“I did not say that,” he said as he rose to his feet. “I meant under the circumstances. We’ve both dropped from thirty thousand feet with no warning and been hurtled through this.” A hand indicated their surroundings as he turned.

Dense forest surrounded them. Trees were packed so closely together, a person would have trouble wedging themselves between them.

Her eyes turned towards the aircraft.

Bits of metal and debris were scattered everywhere, dug into bark, balanced up trees, and piled on undergrowth. The woodlands were destroyed from the path that the stricken plane had taken, with branches snapped and forestry wrecked as it had ploughed through.

“I think the first thing we need to do is to find food and drink,” he said, breaking her line of thought. “While we are doing so, we can search for any other survivors.”

She nodded, taking in a deep breath. “This isn’t going to be easy,” she said quietly.

Ice blue eyes watched her. “No, it is not.”

She hauled herself painfully to her feet, aware of every single protesting muscle in her body as she moved. “I’m Kira,” she told him. “I can’t remember if I told you that last night.”

He smiled. The gesture revealed a dimple in his left cheek. “Yes. You did. I’m Thranduil.”

Her eyebrows rose a little. “That’s a really unusual name. I like it,” she said.

“I’m not sure what my parents were thinking,” he laughed as he turned and began walking towards where the plane had come down. “Apparently it means _vigorous spring_ or something arty-farty like that.”

She grinned as she followed. “In Russia, Kira means ruler or mistress, and in Irish it’s a variation of some other name which means black,” she said. “I wonder who decides what names have what meaning.”

“I like to imagine it is some ancient philosopher somewhere, seated inside a stone temple with a rolled up parchment,” he said over his shoulder. “Watch your step there – the soil is pretty soft and muddy.”

They walked for several yards and stopped suddenly as they came face-to-face with part of the wreckage. The tail section where she had been sitting had broken away from the main body, and sat sticking up at a grotesque, unnatural angle. The windows had blown out, and garbage filtered from the eerie shape that was so out of place.

She swallowed. “Where the hell’s the rest of it?” she whispered.

Thranduil looked down at her. “I would guess somewhere in that direction,” he said, and pointed to his left.

She followed the direction and saw nothing but damage and bits of wreckage strewn everywhere. “Oh my God.”

“I understand that neither of us wish to do this, but if we are to stay alive, we have no choice,” he told her. “We _need_ to get inside the plane and see if there are any survivors, and if there is anything we can use until Search and Rescue find us. We could be here for days, maybe weeks – it’s impossible to tell.”

“I know,” she said.

“How is your leg?”

She glanced down at her thigh. “Sore, but the bleeding has stopped,” she answered. She looked back towards the tail section, then up at him. “I can get in there.”

He nodded slowly, and they approached in silence. They gazed up at what was left with feelings of uncertainty and hesitance.

“We have to do this,” he reminded her in a soft tone.

“Help me up there, please?” she asked, and grabbed hold of a piece of metal.

Strong hands gripped her waist and hoisted her up, and she scrambled to find a foothold as she hauled herself in through the opening.

Sheer devastation greeted her.

“Oh my fucking God,” she said.

The destruction itself didn’t seem to hit home as she stared at the ruins in front of her. Upturned seats, baggage, and a million other bits and pieces lay strewn everywhere. It was the dead bodies. People lay twisted and tangled, some with eyes open as they had stared straight into their deaths. Some were badly injured, with blood and organs that were never meant to see the light of day spilling out. Her gaze fell on a severed leg a few feet away, and bile rose in her throat.

She spun around and vomited.

Thranduil appeared silently behind her and touched her shoulder as she rose back to her full height.

“Are you ok to do this?” he asked in genuine concern and compassion.

She nodded as she gasped for breath and dragged her hands down her face. “Yeah. I’m alright. I can do it. I’m ok.”

Serious eyes searched hers as she faced him. “You can stay outside on the ground if you prefer,” he told her.

Her face was chalk white and she trembled visibly.

“No. I’m good,” she replied. “We can’t put this off any longer.”

She stepped past him, and he watched her move gingerly between the piles of debris. He moved to begin checking for any signs of life on the right side of the tail section, keeping a discreet eye on her as she worked her way through those on the left. Neither of them spoke as they moved around.

Over an hour passed before either of them acknowledged the other’s presence.

“How are you holding up?” he asked her.

She stood up and looked over at him, and he could tell she’d been crying. “Nobody over here survived,” she whispered.

He nodded slowly. “Same here.”

She sniffed hard and planted her hands on her hips as she looked around. “What now?”

“We have to find whatever we can that will sustain us until we are rescued,” he replied. His voice carried a distinct air of melancholy. “Something to eat and drink. Clothing. Blankets. Matches or lighters. Something to aide us in a shelter of sorts. First aid supplies.”

A deep sigh left her as she pivoted. “We’re basically grave-robbing,” she said.

“In essence, yes. But we have to do what we can to get through this,” he answered. “If we do not do this, then our chances will drop significantly.”

She didn’t say anything.

“Kira.”

Deep blue eyes lifted to his.

“These people cannot use what is here,” he whispered. “We can. And we have to.”

“I know.” Two tears trailed down her cheeks. “It just seems so… _wrong_?”

He nodded. “I know. I know.”

Seconds ticked past before they turned away from each other, and began their search again, this time for resources to keep them alive.

*****

Kira had quietly cried the entire time the two of them had searched the wreckage of the tail section. Thranduil had heard her, but other than cast a few concerned glances in her direction, he’d given her space to process what she was going through. He’d silently handed her various items that he’d thought would be of use to them, but said nothing. He had the feeling that she would be worse if he offered words of comfort, like a powder keg ready to explode under the pressure. She’d taken each object handed to her and piled everything up at the edge of the craft where they’d climbed in. The small mountain of goods grew steadily.

“I think we should rest for a while,” he said finally as he stretched his back. “This has been physically and emotionally draining, to say the least. I could do with stretching my legs for a while.”

“Yes, and I don’t know about you, but I’m starving,” she agreed. “Shall we call it quits for a while?”

He nodded and stepped past her, dropping gracefully to the ground below. Item by item, she passed down each precious piece they’d collected for their survival. He wiped his hands on his jeans as they reached the end and lifted his arms. “Come on.”

Once more she settled her hands onto his broad shoulders as he lifted her down onto the grass. “Thankyou.”

A slight look of puzzlement flashed over his eyes, and disappeared again swiftly. “You are welcome,” he responded.

She walked past him and crossed the uneven terrain on her way towards a torn down tree. Lowering herself to sit on the trunk, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “I think I’ll have nightmares for years,” she said, with a small laugh. “I wouldn’t wish what we’ve just done on anyone.”

“No, as neither would I,” he agreed.

She opened her eyes to find him right in front of her, having moved silently. “Maybe we’ll survive this long enough to see a therapist,” she murmered.

He drew a deep breath in through his nose. “I for one do not intend to give in,” he said. His eyes met hers. “And if I have anything to do with it, neither will you. We have come through unspeakable horror and are still alive; that has to count for something.”

“Yes…it does,” she replied. “I just feel so bad for those who didn’t…” Her voice trailed off.

“We can deal with the aftermath once we are back on familiar soil. Until then, we have to focus on each hour, each day, until we are home again,” he said. “We cannot afford to break out here.”

“No – it wouldn’t do us any favours,” she agreed. “I need to eat.”

He smiled at her sudden determination, and turned back towards the pile they’d amassed. “Well, we have a choice. There are several dozen canned goods, and it wouldn’t take long to start a small fire to heat them. Or there are dried products, although I cannot guarantee that they will satisfy your hunger to any degree.”

She waved a dismissive hand. “Anything. Everything. I’m beyond starving,” she said. Getting up from the tree, she trailed close behind him as he approached the stockpile. “How about this?” She held up a can of macaroni cheese. “It’s better than nothing.”

“I agree,” he said, and took the can from her, lifting another two the same. “Can you gather some branches?”

“Sure.” She moved away and collected a few bundles of wood; branches that had been torn from nearby trees as they’d crashed. She placed them on the ground in a pile, and Thranduil squatted down and sparked a lighter. “Thank God for what we found,” she murmered, her eyes on his hands as he ignited the wood.

One eyebrow quirked in acknowledgement. “Which is why you should not feel bad for using whatever we can find,” he told her. He took the cans and lifted a sharp hunting knife that they’d found in their search. The blade stabbed effortlessly through the top of each can and he worked it around the edges.

“You’ve done this before,” she observed.

He smiled, concentrating on the task. “I have done some camping in my time,” he acknowledged. “Many years ago, but I still have some experience under my belt.”

“And for that, I’m eternally grateful. I’m more of a lazy person in that aspect; I like my creature comforts too much to rough it out in a tent in the middle of nowhere,” she said. Her face turned serious. “Until now.”

“And you will have those creature comforts once more,” he told her. The contents of the cans were examined as he wrinkled his nose. “Beggars cannot be choosers,” he murmered. He looked over at her. “The authorities will know that the aircraft has crashed. All efforts will be put into finding out where, and whether or not anyone survived.”

She watched him gently stir the contents as he placed the containers onto a small stand he’d rigged up within a matter of seconds which allowed the flames from the fire to burn directly underneath. “I have no idea where the hell we even are.”

Ice blue eyes met hers briefly before lowering to the task at hand. “They will home in on the black box, and work it out from there.”

“I’m pretty sure I remember reading somewhere that the black box is usually located in the tail of these planes. I guess it would make sense to stay fairly close to it so the rescue team can find us,” she said.

He nodded. “They’ll eventually track the rest of the craft, but their focus point will be that signal,” he agreed.

“Were you serious when you said we could be here for weeks?”

“Yes.”

Her face fell.

“But we have enough to sustain us for that amount of time,” he assured her. “It really depends on the last transmission from the flight before we crashed. It depends on the weather, and it depends on how quickly the search teams are put into action. There are a lot of factors to consider.”

She tilted her head a little. “Has the thought ever crossed your mind that maybe we won’t be found in time?”

“No.” The answer was immediate and honest. “Flight companies do not like it when one of their planes go missing. Every effort is put into retrieving it and any surviving passengers. Thorough investigations are carried out, and everything else is pushed aside in the meantime. Don’t worry, Kira; you won’t be out here for months.” A smile ended his statement.

“I wasn’t thinking of months. I was only wondering if they might be too late by the time they find us,” she responded. “We’re not exactly visible from the air, are we?”

“Perhaps not, but the carnage that the crashed caused will be,” he said. “Nothing the size of what we were travelling in can crash and not make a significant impact on the ground. There will probably be satellites looming over at some point to find the crash site.”

Her eyebrows lifted.

“Everything we do is tracked by satellite,” he explained, peering into the heating cans. “Telephone communications. Internet emails and messages. Car positioning. Everything you can think of. Big Brother is _always_ watching, literally in this sense.”

“And for the first time ever, I’m actually pretty glad that he is,” she said. “I always thought the surveillance thing was pretty intrusive, but if that’s the case, it might come in pretty handy for us.”

He reached behind himself and lifted two bottles of water, unscrewing the cap of one and handing it to her.

“Thankyou,” she murmered.

“Ok…let’s get one thing straight before we go any further,” he said in a no-nonsense tone. “Stop saying thankyou all the time.”

Her cheeks flushed deep pink. “I-“ she started, but he held a hand up and cut her off.

“I do not mean any disrespect. But we are stranded here together for heaven knows how long. We have no need whatsoever for formalities. Whether we like it or not, it is only you and I for the foreseeable future, and we’ll have to accept each other as there’s no-one else. You do not need to thank me for anything, believe me.”

She smiled slightly; a touch of sadness in the expression. “It’s just the way I am,” she said quietly.

“I understand that. But we can worry about the proprieties and niceties once we have been rescued, agreed?”

“Agreed,” she parroted. “And I think this is almost ready,” she added, indicating the macaroni. “It sure smells as though it is.”

He reached behind himself once more, producing two forks this time. Handing her one, he grinned. “I apologise, but this establishment has no plates or eating equipment,” he joked. “I’m afraid eating out of the can will have to suffice, for now.”

“Well,” she said dramatically. “I insist on writing to the manager to express my complaints! Such service is diabolical, and will _not_ be regarded as customer hospitality.”

He chuckled heartily as he dug into his can.


	3. Grey Days

** CHAPTER THREE – GREY DAYS **

By the time afternoon rolled around, the skies above hung low with heavy grey clouds, and rain poured down off and on throughout the day.

Kira was cold, wet, and miserable.

Thranduil kept mainly quiet as he ventured back into the wreckage in search for more useful items, insisting that she stay where she was and therefore letting her work through whatever she was going through in her head.

“I think this may come in useful,” he announced suddenly, breaking her train of thought.

She looked over to see him standing up in the open end of the tail section, holding a large plastic sheet aloft. She frowned. “What is it?”

“A tarpaulin of some kind,” he replied, regarding the plastic in his hand. “It seems to be a decent size, too. I think it will make a good shelter for the nights.” His eyes moved to her at her silence. “I do not think you would wish to sleep in the wreckage.” A thumb jerked over his shoulder into the ruined aircraft.

Or what was left of it.

“No. I’d never close my eyes,” she agreed, and got to her feet. “What are you thinking, like a tent of sorts?”

“Yes. I think it could make a fairly wind and rain proof tent if we rig it the right way,” he told her. “And we already have several blankets and pillows. Getting a half-decent seep tonight should not prove to be a problem. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t slept in over forty eight hours, and I’m exhausted beyond belief.”

She nodded. “I am too. I just couldn’t settle,” she said. She indicated the tarp. “I think you’re right – this’ll help. Throw it down.”

He dropped it into her hands and lowered himself to stand beside her.

“Any thoughts on where to put it?” she asked, gazing up at him.

“Not as yet. I was thinking that after we have something to eat, we could maybe have a wander through these woods and find a suitable area,” he suggested. “Only if you are feeling up to it though. If not, I can stumble around myself.”

She mirrored his grin. “I’m not as fragile as I look,” she informed him. “Yes, that sounds like a good idea. I don’t really want to be too far from the plane – or what’s left of it – but I don’t exactly want to be right on top of it either…it’s just not right.”

“I know,” he said with a nod. “We’ll find somewhere, don’t worry. I found some bread that hit its use-by date yesterday, but I think it should still be ok. Plus there are some cans of corned beef we can use.”

“My turn to prepare it then, seeing as you did the mac cheese,” she replied. “Even I can manage some sandwiches.”

He laughed. “I assume then that cooking is not your area of expertise?”

She snorted as they made their way back across to where they’d piled the supplies. “I _hate_ cooking,” she spat. “Seriously. I can’t stand it. I get so bored, just standing around watching something take on a consistency that it was never meant to take.”

He tipped his head back and laughed; a deep sound that seemed to flow from his toes. “Then you have the honour of me doing the cooking side of things,” he decided. “I do not care for being struck down by food poisoning whilst stuck out here in the back and beyond.”

“You’re a cheeky sod,” she laughed. “Hand me the bread, please?”

He dutifully handed her the loaf.

“It still feels pliable, so it should be alright,” she murmered as she peered into the wrapper. “And there’s no blue hairy shit growing on it.”

Thranduil chuckled. “I am in no need of penicillin yet,” he remarked.

“Me neither.” She quickly prepared a small pile of sandwiches and set them down next to the campfire. Her gaze lifted towards the wreckage as she sat on the grass.

“It is better to think on what we have gained, rather than what we have lost.” His words snapped her out of her trance-like state, and she looked across at him. “In this case, we have gained our lives. Those aboard did not. It may not seem like it right now, but we are extremely lucky.”

“I know. I suppose it’s the not knowing that’s going to drive me insane,” she said. “I know what you said about a rescue effort, but I’m already thinking that less than twenty four hours stuck here has felt like weeks already. Is that crazy?”

He shook his head as he chewed, his posture relaxed as he sat cross-legged across from her. “No. The feeling of being unwillingly isolated can kick-start a domino-effect of feelings and emotions,” he replied. “If one imposes a state of isolation through choice, that’s different. It’s usually done for the sole need of needing peace and quiet, time to heal perhaps. This situation has been dropped into our lives with no meaning, no warning, and no signs of how long it will last for.”

“Are you a philosopher?” Her head tipped to the side slightly as she smiled.

“No. I merely have a hold on life,” he answered. “Every day has a lesson, one which must be learned.”

“I think I’m stranded with Socrates,” she laughed. “So…tell me about yourself. What do you do?”

“I work in hospitality,” he told her. “I have done since I left university, many years ago.”

“I assume you enjoy it, if you’ve done the same thing all these years,” she observed. “This beef is actually quite tasty.”

He nodded. “I love what I do. I couldn’t really imagine doing anything else. I’ve worked hard, and it has paid off. I’m happy with my life. What do you do?”

“I’m a PA for the CEO of a retail company,” she answered. “I’ve been doing it for about six? maybe seven years. And it’s ok…depending on his mood.” She laughed. “He can be a bit temperamental at times. Being honest? I hate it.”

“I suppose bosses can make a person feel like that,” he agreed. “I’m lucky; I work pretty much alone most of the time, so I don’t have to deal with mood swings, temper tantrums, all that nonsense.”

“Damn, you’re lucky. My work is the reason I was on that flight,” she said. “I had to attend a meeting on my boss’s behalf. I don’t think I’ve ever been so bored in my life.”

“Do you have a family?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No. Single at the moment, no kids. Just me, my room-mate, and a job that most days I wish I could change.”

Ice blue eyes stared into hers. “So change it. Everything around us has changed within the last twenty four hours. Change what is left,” he said.

Kira shrugged. “Sometimes it isn’t that easy. I applied for college to retrain in another area, but the fees were extortionate, and I wasn’t eligible for funding, so I had to let that go. But I _have_ a job, so I can’t complain.”

Silence fell for a few minutes as they ate.

“What about you? Do you have a family?” she asked after a while.

“One son,” he replied. “Legolas. He’s twenty.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “He’s what??”

“Twenty,” he repeated. “Why?”

A laugh bubbled up and overflowed. “You sure as hell don’t look like you’re old enough to have a twenty year old offspring.”

He tilted his head in acknowledgment, a slight blush tinting his cheeks. “Thankyou. He was born when I was twenty one.”

“Young,” she murmered.

“Yes. Probably too young, in retrospect. But he’s the centre of my life, and I wouldn’t change him for anything,” he said. “His mother left when he was only five months old, left me to be both mother and father. It wasn’t the easiest time of my life.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice low. “Did she ever make contact?”

“Nope. Not a whistle.” He stretched his legs out before him, crossing them at the ankles and leaning his weight back on his hands. “To be honest, it was probably for the best. If she had been in and out of his life like a revolving door, it would only have confused him as a child. And for that, I am grateful that she didn’t reappear only to disappear again. After so long had passed, I would not have let her have access to him anyway, as it would have messed with his head. And she might have tried to take him. No-one would ever come between myself and my child.”

“I don’t know what to say,” she admitted. “It’s very unusual for a mother to turn her back on her child. I’m not saying that it doesn’t happen; obviously it does, and you’re walking, talking proof of that. It’s just not the norm, you know? The maternal bond is supposed to be unbreakable.” She looked away, and he frowned as he noticed tears in her eyes.

“Kira – what’s wrong?” he asked, leaning forwards a little.

She shook her head and swallowed. “Nothing.”

“You make a lousy liar,” he said softly. 

“My dad died when I was sixteen,” she said after a long pause. “And my mother turned her back on me straight afterwards.”

His frown deepened. “Why? Was there any reason? Any explanation?”

“I was a daddy’s girl, and I think somewhere along the line she maybe felt left out or something,” she said. “I don’t know. He was always really affectionate with me, always had time for me, he’d do things with me. My mother kept her distance and never really involved herself.”

“Jealousy.”

“Maybe. I look a lot like him too, so maybe it just brought back memories for her.”

He thought over her words for a few moments. “Legolas resembles his mother a little, and she truly hurt me when she left the way she did. But I would never turn against my son because he reminds me of her,” he said. A small vertical crease had appeared between his eyebrows as he frowned. “The sins of the parent should not be passed on to the child, nor should the grievances from between the parents. That is not what they are born for, and they shouldn’t have to cope with that.”

One shoulder shrugged as she unscrewed her bottle of water. “My mother doesn’t hold the same opinion,” she said, and took a healthy swallow. “Never mind. The past is the past, and there isn’t a lot I can do to change it. Have you finished?”

“Yes. I feel a lot more human now,” he replied as he flashed her a smile. “What do you say we hunt for a suitable sheltered place to build this tent effort of ours?”

“I say it sounds like a good idea. A downpour isn’t far away; look at those clouds. They’re going to completely empty before nightfall, that’s for sure,” she said.

Both of them cast their eyes towards the heavens, which were mixed tones of grey.

Thranduil leapt to his feet with surprising agility given his towering height. “Come on.” He extended a hand, which she took and he pulled her to stand.

“How tall are you?” she questioned with a frown as she looked up at him. The top of her head came to just below his chin.

“Six feet five,” he told her, and grinned. “Why?”

“Human tree trunk,” she muttered. “I feel quite small, and I don’t often get that.”

“And you are..?”

“Five eight.”

“That is above the national average for a woman,” he conceded. “So you aren’t that small.”

“Says the walking, talking skyscraper,” she quipped.

He tipped his head back and laughed. His hair rippled down his back as he moved. “I have been called many a thing, but that’s a new one,” he said as he turned and began walking away from the site of the wreckage. “Being tall has its advantages, and disadvantages.”

“I can’t think of any disadvantages,” she said, trailing behind him.

He lifted branches up out of her way so she could pass underneath. “Try fitting comfortably in a vehicle without having your knees up around your ears,” he said dryly, and she laughed. “Or try finding a bed where your feet aren’t sticking out of the bottom. Or trousers that fit.”

“Sleep diagonal, and buy trousers with a large hem so you can let the bottoms down,” she said. “Drive a four-wheeled drive; they’re bigger. Easy-peasy.”

He drew her a look over his right shoulder. “I can see why you hold the job position that you do,” he remarked. “I assume that a lot of what you do is problem-solving?”

She grinned. “Yes. Whenever Bradley has something he can’t sort, or can’t be arsed with, he hands it to me to fix for him.”

“Be careful here,” he said as he slowed down. “This bit is steep. Wait a minute.” He shuffled sideways down an embankment and turned at the bottom. “Reach out your hand,” he instructed.

She copied his manoeuvre and did as he instructed, sliding the last few feet and crashing into his arms. “Ooops! Sorry,” she gasped, embarrassed.

“It’s alright,” he answered as he released her. “Are you hurt?”

“No, just my pride.” She hastily stepped back and wiped her hands down the front of her jeans. Her cheeks were flushed as she looked away.

“It looks more even to walk through over there,” he said. He’d picked up on the fact that she was flustered. “And if my hearing serves me well…” He trailed off.

“What can you hear?” she asked.

They walked further into the undergrowth, where they both came to an abrupt halt.

The trees parted before them, and water cascaded down a small cliff face into a pool below. The scene itself was beautiful, particularly given their circumstances and the horror they’d been through in recent hours. The cliff face rose about thirty feet above them, with trees and shrubbery growing thickly on either side. The foliage created a path-like channel for the water to gush down.

“Wow,” Kira whispered.

“Wow indeed,” he said, his voice quiet. “We now have a place to bathe and cleanse ourselves. And hopefully, a water supply if it is fresh enough to consume.”

“It definitely looks as though it might be,” she said as she glanced up at him. Stepping forwards, she carefully made her way down a slight slope to the water’s edge, where she squatted and scooped a handful. “It is!” she exclaimed as she swallowed a little and wiped her mouth with the back of her other hand. “It’s fresh water!”

He smiled as he stepped closer. He squatted down beside her and scooped up some himself, grinning as the cool, clear liquid poured through his fingers. “This is good news,” he said to her. “In fact, I-“ He stopped suddenly.

She frowned. “What? What is it?” Her head whipped around to see what had caught his attention.

She screamed.

Partially buried in the bushes and greenery lay a body. The head was turned towards them, unseeing eyes wide open as though staring at them. Dried blood caked one side and down one cheek. Clumps of hair had been torn off revealing bloody patches of scalp.

She wobbled off-balance and crashed into Thranduil, gasping and panting in fright. His arms immediately closed around her and he turned her from the horrific view.

“Sshhh, calm down,” he whispered close to her ear. “Breathe slowly. It’s ok.”

“It’s _not_ ok!” she cried, fighting to free herself from his hold. “He or she is fucking _dead_! They’re _dead_!”

“I know, I know. Kira, listen to me. Sshhh. Listen to me,” he urged. “You cannot do anything for him or her. They’re gone. Look at me. _Look_ at me.”

Her chest heaved as she struggled for air, reluctantly ceasing her struggle and looking up at him. His ice blue eyes were only a couple of inches away from her own as he stared at her. Her entire body was shaking and trembling violently.

“Breathe with me,” he whispered.

Seconds ticked past as she held his gaze, her heart thumping hard against her ribs.

Her breathing eventually slowed, and she realised with startling clarity that she hadn’t paid much attention to him before now.

He was _gorgeous._

His clear blue eyes dragged her into their depths. Thick, dark eyebrows arched downwards slightly in concern as he stared at her. His full lips were parted a little, giving her a glimpse of perfect white teeth. Long blonde hair cascaded down over both shoulders and down his chest. Strong, warm hands held her upper arms, holding her until she settled down.

Why hadn’t she noticed how stunning he was before now??

Admittedly, he’d taken her by surprise when she’d first clapped eyes on him in daylight, but she’d been so preoccupied with everything that had happened, she hadn’t had the chance to appreciate just how handsome he truly was. His thick, dark lashes slowly lowered and lifted again as he blinked leisurely, still holding her gaze.

“Are you alright?”

His deep voice pierced her subconscious and dragged her back to the present.

She nodded shakily. “Yes. I just got a massive fright, that’s all. I’m sorry I freaked out.”

“Do not apologise,” he said in a firm but gentle tone. “Neither of us particularly expected that. It did not do me any favours either, I can tell you.”

“At least you didn’t start screaming and going mad,” she whispered.

“Kira, you’re being too hard on yourself,” he said. “How many people do you know who have come through something like this? How many friends can you count who you could go to in order to learn from their experience on this? I bet the answer is none. Because right now, we are the only ones here, the only ones going through this, as horrible and tragic as it is. And we have to do whatever we can to get through this. Right now, we are all each other has, and we will help each other through it, do you understand?”

A slow nod of her head was her response.

“It is ok to get upset, and to grieve,” he whispered. His fingers tightened briefly on her arms before letting her go. “You are human, and do not ever forget that. Do not measure your reactions against how I react. Males and females can be polar opposites in that respect.”

“I know,” she whispered. Her head lowered slightly.

“I want you to sit over here-“ He guided her to a large rock as he talked. “-and I’m going to have a look at our friend over there. My first guess is that he or she was on our flight; I cannot think of any other reason for their presence here. I’ll be right back, ok? Ok?”

She lowered her weight onto the slab of rock. “Yeah. I’ll be fine. Just be careful,” she told him.

He nodded once, noticing the tremor in her fingers as her hand slid off his forearm. “I promise. And I won’t be long.”

She watched him as he turned and stepped over the uneven ground. His long hair swept down his back as he moved, distracting her momentarily.


	4. Dark Nights

** CHAPTER FOUR – DARK NIGHTS **

Kira stayed on the rock Thranduil had led her to. She stared at her feet as she waited for his return, casting the occasional anxious glance in the direction he’d disappeared. Time seemed to slow down to a stop, and she started to fidget.

She leapt to her feet as the foliage parted and he reappeared.

“There are three bodies back there, spread out,” he told her as he approached her and came to a stop in front of her. “I would assume that they had been sitting relatively close, and were thrown from the wreckage at the same time.”

“Poor souls,” she said softly as she shook her head. She dragged a huge lungful of air in. “I can’t imagine ever getting over this or forgetting it. It’s horrific.”

“We will get over it, through time, but we will never forget what happened here,” he answered. He turned and dropped to a squatting position and washed his hands in the pool. “I have moved them some way away, so that you can bathe and freshen up here without feeling too uncomfortable.”

“You didn’t have to put yourself through that. Thankyou.”

“I thought we discussed this thankyou nonsense,” he said over his shoulder. A hint of humour was infused in his voice. He stood back up and wiped his hands on the back of his jeans. “It would not be pleasant trying to clean yourself knowing what lay just a few feet away, Kira.”

“No, that’s true,” she acknowledged. “Thanks for…moving them, anyways.”

He shook his head as he looked back towards where they had crashed. “How about we go back and bring some towels, and a change of clothing? We could both do with a wash; we’re covered in blood, dirt, and every kind of grease and grime I can think of,” he suggested.

“Good idea. The travel bag you found has soap of some sort in it,” she said. “And a couple of razors too.” She grinned wickedly.

One eyebrow arched. “What are you implying?”

A laugh escaped. “Nothing. The stubble really doesn’t do you justice,” she quipped. She lifted a hand and trailed her fingertips along his jaw as she passed, chuckling to herself.

He inhaled a deep breath, purposely ignoring the sparks that had blazed to life at the innocent touch. She hadn’t meant anything by it, yet it had woken an awareness that he’d thought was dead.

*****

A couple of hours later, the pair stood back and observed their work. Thranduil had his arms folded, and Kira had her hands on her hips. Both were a little flushed. Having returned to their camp for towels, soap, and clothing, they’d gone back to the waterfall. He’d insisted on her going behind a tree with lots of low-hanging branches so she would have privacy, and he’d forcefully turned his back as he’d washed at the other side of the pool. On their return, the tarpaulin needed some attention if they had any hopes of making some sort of shelter from it.

“I think it’ll do,” she said, breaking the silence. Her deep blue eyes met his as he glanced down at her. “It’s waterproof, at least.”

One side of his mouth quirked. “I thought it would have been a little bigger,” he said. “There really isn’t a lot of room in there for two grown adults.”

The tarp, when spread out on the ground, had seemed reasonably large. But folded and tied over a fallen tree, the overall size seemed small in comparison.

“You just said it – we’re grown adults,” she pointed out. “I’m sure we can find a way to fit in there. The main thing is protection from the wind, the rain, and the cold. What’s worrying you?”

“I am not worried,” he retorted. “I perhaps feel that a lady should have more room-“

“Oh stop that shit,” she said in exasperation. “I’m not listening to you anymore.”

His eyes widened in astonishment as she marched towards the tent and disappeared inside, having grabbed a pile of blankets in the process. It would appear that the shy, timid woman could bite back after all.

He shrugged and followed her, having to crawl into the space.

She glanced up at him with a grin as he poked his head inside. “This is going to be like a sardine can,” she laughed.

He glanced around.

She’d covered the plastic on the floor with several thick blankets, leaving several more turned back to climb under. Pillows they’d salvaged from the plane lay at the far end, away from the entrance. It was _really_ cramped.

“We’ll fit,” she said, catching the doubt in his expression. “I sleep curled up into a ball anyway, so I won’t take up much room. And with the weather the way it is just now, we can’t sleep outside. The temperature drops drastically at night.”

“Yes, it does,” he murmered. “Ok…we will have to make do and give this our best shot. It would appear that under the circumstances, there are no alternatives.”

She scowled a little as she straightened the pile of blankets to be used as top covers. “Anyone would think I stink or something the way you’re behaving.”

He laughed, a little embarrassed. “Not at all. Far from it, in fact. It’s just…it has been a long time since I shared a sleeping space so close to a woman, that is all. I’m afraid I may have lost the consideration required when someone else is in the vicinity, especially so close.”

“So you wrestle in your sleep?” she demanded humorously. “Snore? Fart?”

A deep laughter rumbled free. “No. At least, I do not _think_ I do.”

“Then we’ll be fine,” she said decidedly. “Quit worrying. We’ve pretty much seen each other at our worst, and this is only to get some shut-eye. It’ll be ok. Trust me.”

She squeezed past him on her knees to exit the makeshift tent, and he caught the aroma of coconut from the shampoo they’d found in the wreckage. His jaw tightened as he hesitated before crawling back out into the clearing.

“So…is anyone waiting for you at home?” he asked in an attempt to keep the conversation between them going.

“Not really. My room mate will only notice I’m not there if the rent’s not paid on time,” she told him. “And my boss will be having a hairy fit, but only because the work won’t be getting done the way I do it. It’ll be nothing to do with me as a person missing.”

A wave of sadness washed over him. “Nobody else?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“No friends?”

“I don’t really socialise that often outside of work,” she explained. “I just prefer to keep myself to myself. It’s easier that way. Less hassle.”

Ice blue eyes watched her as she moved to lift the two almost-empty water bottles. “I keep in touch with select people away from work,” he murmered. “Not a lot, admittedly. But it’s contact.”

“You go out clubbing and partying with them?” A coy smile shone his way.

He laughed. “Good God, no. I’m not the clubbing or partying kind,” he said. “I’m fairly quiet in that aspect. I like to read a lot.”

“So do I,” she said. “I love crime stories, and I’ve got a six-feet tall bookcase at home crammed full of them.”

“You like a touch of violence?” he teased, taking the bottle she handed to him and lowering himself to sit cross-legged next to the pile of ash that had been their small fire.

“No, it’s the psychology, the planning, the motive behind it all,” she answered. “I like to get inside the author’s head. It’s amazing what you can find if you dig around in there. What do you read?”

He took a deep breath as he considered his answer. “I cover many genres,” he said. “Crime. Non-fiction. Biographies. Ancient history. Adventure. It’s impossible to narrow it down to one specific group. I have a reasonably large collection of books at home, and I read online as well when I have time.”

“Do you watch television much?” She swigged from her bottle.

“Occasionally. I do like an odd movie now and then. Or documentaries.”

“I love wildlife documentaries,” she said enthusiastically. “The depths they go to for the footage is amazing in some of them. Places you’d never imagine existed, species of plants and animals we’ve never heard of. The underwater ones are outstanding; it’s a whole different world down there.”

He smiled. “I watched one only a few weeks ago that was over two and a half hours,” he said. “By the time it finished, I felt like I was in a different time zone or something…you know that feeling when you become so immersed in something, and when it ends you’re left in a daze?”

“Oh, I know. I get that every time I reach the end of those programs,” she replied. She turned her head and glanced around into the forest. “Fancy going for a walk? Explore a little?”

“Sure, why not?” He hoisted himself to his feet and tucked his bottle into his pocket. “We should probably take some of those candy bars with us.”

“I’ll grab some,” she said.

*****

The day flew past, and before long, it was getting cold and dark. The sky above was clear, dotted with thousands of stars which sparkled and twinkled merrily in the velvety black backdrop. 

“It’s going to be a cold one,” Thranduil murmered.

Kira looked over at him.

He sat on his knees on the other side of the fire. Orange flames illuminated every shadow and feature, giving him a slightly eerie look. But also giving her the perspective that she’d never seen such a stunning looking male in her life.

She shook her head in stubborn determination.

He was beginning to affect her in ways that were making her extremely uncomfortable, and not just physically. The last thing she needed was a short-lived relationship with someone who she’d never see again once normality returned. He would only be another complication thrust into a life that she’d worked hard to organise and keep problems to an absolute minimum, and it would destroy everything she’d worked for.

But he made her heart beat _so_ much harder, and so much faster. She felt so self-conscious every time his ice blue eyes met hers, and when he smiled..? She felt like fainting. He moved with an unmeasurable amount of grace, which surprised her given his towering height. Long, flowing hair had her mesmerised, and his voice was so rich and deep, she was pretty sure she could die happily just listening to him speak.

He was considerate, too.

Almost _too_ considerate.

Everything they did, he looked after her and made sure she was comfortable, or safe. He helped her climb over trees and rocks as they explored the forest. He made her food before he made his own. He insisted she bathe first at the waterfall. He held her hand and pulled her up over obstacles in the woods that were too high for her to climb by herself, and lifted her down when needed.

And it was done automatically.

He never seemed to have to think about what he did; it came through almost as an intrinsic nature. Several times when out walking, he’d asked her if she was alright, did she need to stop for a rest, was she warm enough? That surprised her.

“I’m going to bed down,” she said, with a little more force than intended as she fought her way free from her train of thought.

He blinked in surprise as his eyes met hers over the flames. “Is everything ok?”

“Yeah,” she replied, getting to her feet. “I was just in another world, that’s all. And you’re right; it’s going to be icy cold. I’m glad you brought those other blankets from the plane – I think we’re definitely going to need them.”

He nodded. “Do you want to get settled first? That way you can find your space and get comfortable, and I can settle with what’s left.” He grinned.

“I’m telling you, I don’t take up hardly any room,” she retorted as she stood up. “I won’t be long.”

His eyes followed her as she crawled under the tarpaulin, and he inhaled deeply through his nose. It was going to be a _long_ night. He clenched his teeth as he turned his gaze back to the dying fire. Kira was a strong woman, and had a heart of gold that was visible from a thousand miles away. She didn’t need complications added to an already stressful situation, and he knew she would struggle to come to terms with recent events. Adding a passionate affair into the mix would be disaster, and not just for her.

She’d definitely caught his attention though.

Her laughter was infectious, and every time she smiled he fell a little deeper under her spell. Her deep blue eyes sparkled with a mischief that seemed tightly reined in, and yet he was certain that he could see a strong hurt in the depths of the blue.

As for her body…that was a different matter altogether.

She favoured the zipped hoodie she’d worn on the fight, and most of the time it was open to halfway. She wore a vest-top underneath, and the cleavage he could see was driving him insane. She wasn’t flaunting anything, but his keen male eye homed in on her bust constantly. Her legs were long and muscular, leading up to a rear that was beautifully curved under the tight denim of her jeans. An ass that his hands itched to hold against himself.

He groaned, and reluctantly pulled himself to his feet.

He crawled through the gap in the plastic tarp to find her already rolled up in a corner, although he could hardly see her in the glow from the fire as she was bundled up snugly. Unable to contain a chuckle, he slid under the blankets beside her, leaving as much space between them as physically possible.

“What’s funny?” she asked. Her voice was muffled through the covers.

“You,” he laughed. “You would think this is the artic or something.”

“You won’t be saying that when it gets colder,” she shot back. “I’m already chilled to the bone.”

He settled his head onto his pillow with his back to her. “Sleep well, Kira,” he said quietly.

“You too, Thranduil,” she replied.

Silence filled the space.

*****

Thranduil sighed in his sleep as he rolled over. The movement brought him close enough to Kira that he could feel her breathing.

He could also feel her body trembling.

“Kira?”

His sleepy whisper made her stiffen, and she felt him rise to one elbow in the darkness.

“Kira? I know you’re awake,” he whispered. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Do not lie to me,” he chided softly. “What is it? Talk to me.”

“I’m frozen,” she finally ground out. “I’m going to die of hypothermia out here.”

He shifted again, and she yelped as she felt a strong arm slide around her waist and haul her bodily towards him.

“Do not panic. I merely intend to make sure you do not die on me,” he said, and she found her back crushed against the solid wall of his chest. His arm remained tightly around her middle, holding her in place.

An instant heat bled from him through into her, and she relaxed a little. His warm breath on the back of her neck gave her goose bumps, but not through the temperature. The steady rise and fall of his chest against her back soothed her into relaxing fully, and she closed her eyes.

 _This is wrong,_ she thought, as her eyes opened again. _This is so wrong. But it feels so right._

“Stop worrying, Kira. Go back to sleep,” he murmered. “Good night.”

She blinked, astonished that he seemed to know her thoughts.

The following morning, she awoke alone under a heavy mountain of blankets. Struggling to free herself, she realised Thranduil had folded his half over the top of her for added warmth. She wondered where he was as she scrambled out of the tent.

He stood on the edge of the clearing with his back to her, his arms folded.

What a _magnificent_ view first thing in the morning.

“I trust you slept well?” he said, without turning around.

“I…uh…yes, I did,” she stammered. “How did you know I was up?”

He turned to face her, a knowing smile curving his mouth. “I have exceptional hearing,” he answered. “I heard you muttering and grumbling as you moved the blankets.”

“I thought there was some sort of zombie-blanket-attack thing going on,” she laughed. “Thankyou for keeping me warm last night.” A blush tinted her cheeks a deep pink.

His steady gaze held hers. “Stop voicing gratitude,” he said eventually, and turned away again. “I think we will have snow.”

“What?” Her question came out as a squeak. “Snow?!”

“Yes. I can feel the frigid temperature in the air this morning.”

“I just hope the rescue effort doesn’t take too long,” she murmered as she drew up alongside him and stopped. “After last night, I’ve realised that I’m not as hardy as I thought I was. I was frozen.”

He smiled, his gaze focused on the view before them. “You weren’t cold for long,” he reminded her. “The first survival trick is to get as physically close to another human being as possible. They generate heat together and keep each other warm.”

Her cheeks flamed red at his words, and she was internally thankful that he wasn’t looking at her. “Well I really appreciate stealing all your heat through the night,” she quipped, and turned away. “Are you hungry?”

He slowly turned to look at her back as she made her way back towards the cold campfire. “What I wouldn’t give for a juicy steak right now,” he said. “But I am merely annoying myself with the thought.”

 _And not only that thought_ his sex drive yelled at him.

He ignored it.

“There’s quite a few packets of biscuit-cakey things here,” she replied over her shoulder. “But we seem to be fresh out of steaks.”

He laughed, and took one of the packs she held out. “I’ll survive,” he grinned.


	5. Hot Nights

** CHAPTER FIVE – HOT NIGHTS **

“This is ridiculous,” Thranduil observed as he stood at the base of a particularly large tree. Both arms were folded across his chest, and his mouth pursed in a pout. “Utter nonsense.”

“Oh behave yourself,” Kira scoffed from halfway up the tree. “You just have no sense of adventure, that’s all. You must’ve climbed trees when you were a kid, surely?” The leaves rustled around her in protest as she clambered higher.

“Yes. For your information, I practically _lived_ up in the trees in my youth,” he retorted. “However, as the years tolled past I became an adult…and this is definitely _not_ the wisest or safest thing for an adult to be partaking in.”

“I’m sure you’ll catch me if I fall,” she quipped with a merry laugh.

His eyes closed briefly as he fought his pent-up sexual frustration. The previous night had indeed been cold and harsh, with a light snowfall accompanied by a bitter wind. Once again, they’d spent the night cuddled close to preserve any body heat that they had.

And it had felt so good.

Too good, if he was being honest with himself.

Her curved ass pressed tightly against his groin had woken him, presenting him with the hardest erection he’d ever had, and he’d battled for a good twenty minutes to get the thing back down again before she awoke and received the fright of her life.

Either that, or the fuck of her life.

“Dammit woman! Will you come _down_?” he grunted.

“Nope.” Her sassy comeback was loaded with humour.

“Fine. If you fall, you’ll fall on your head. Maybe knock some sense into you, you deranged creation,” he grumbled. “Come on, Kira. Come down. Please. You’re making me nervous.”

A solid fruit flew past him and thumped onto the grass at his feet, making him start in surprise. He looked up, and her head appeared between the leaves.

“Well?” she demanded.

A wry look was the only answer.

“Fine, I’m coming down,” she sighed, and carefully began her descent.

Below her, Thranduil watched every move with bated breath, terrified that she’d slip and fall. She didn’t, making her way down low enough that he could reach up and lift her to the grass.

“See? Easy-peasy-poo,” she said triumphantly. “And _this_ -“ she stooped to swipe the fruit from the grass and hold it up for his inspection. “-will taste absolutely amazing. I’ve had this before, and it’s delicious.”

“Hardly worth breaking your neck for,” he told her.

She snorted as they headed back towards the camp. “You stress too much. If you’re like this in everyday life, I’m surprised your hair isn’t grey. I’m surprised you have any hair at all.”

“I do not stress,” he replied. “Everything within my working life is completely organised and within my control. It’s wild women who insist on climbing snow-covered trees that make me stress.”

“Ah, but without that you’d be bored,” she laughed.

“I have to admit, I have never had the time to be bored, ever. My time has been consumed entirely either by my son, or my work. Sometimes both.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets as they walked through the forest. “That has left hardly any time to consider the possibility of being bored.”

“Lucky you,” she replied. She stepped carefully over a boulder covered in a light sprinkling of snow, and he automatically freed a hand to hold her elbow. “I have lots of hobbies though, so I suppose I’m not too bad in that aspect. I like to keep busy.”

“A bored mind with no drive or aspiration can become a dangerous mind,” he said.

She glanced up at him. “That sounds ominous. Care to share?”

A silence filled the air, with the sound of their feet being the only noise.

“My wife always complained that she had nothing to occupy herself,” he said eventually. “Nothing seemed to hold her interest for very long, not even after Legolas was born. I thought that he might be the one thing in her life that she would focus on, but I was wrong.”

“What happened? Why did she leave?”

He sucked in a deep breath. “She left me for someone else,” he replied.

Kira came to a stop. “She what?”

He turned to face her, an angry look on his eyes. “Are you going to make me repeat it?” he snapped.

Her cheeks turned red. “N…no, I didn’t mean it like that,” she stammered. “I meant what the hell was she thinking of? _Why_ did she cheat?”

His eyes closed against what she knew were painful memories. “I could not hold her interest,” he said simply. His ice blue gaze met hers again. “She took up some fitness membership thing, and ended up having an affair with the trainer. When he left the city, she went with him.”

She stepped closer and rested a hand on his forearm. “Thranduil, I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I don’t…I don’t understand how a woman could walk out on her husband and young child. It’s just a shitty thing to do to people that you’re supposed to love.”

“True. But life is not always as perfect and ideal as we would wish it to be,” he told her. He turned and they began walking again, slower.

“I assume you dated after that?” she asked.

“Now and again,” he replied. “I found that a lot of women wanted top priority in my life, and at that time I couldn’t give that. Legolas was a child; he needed his father.”

“Did his mother ever try to see him or anything?”

“No. I would not have allowed it, after what she put us through,” he said. “I already told you – nothing will ever come between myself and my child.”

“And I think that makes you an amazing father,” she said softly as she looked up at him. “What your wife-“

“Ex-wife,” he corrected.

“-did was just horrible, and selfish. You’re a strong person, Thranduil. You pulled everything together and came through it, and I know within my heart that you were an amazing dad.”

A sad smile tilted his mouth slightly. “I tried to be both parents to Legolas, and I struggled often. But I made a lot of sacrifices and it was worth it. My child is my world, and I would never see him wanting.”

“And that’s the way a parent is supposed to be,” she said. “I don’t think you should blame yourself, and don’t tell me that you aren’t – I know you are. I can hear it in your voice, I can see it in your eyes when you talk about it. And d’you know something? You’re shouldering blame for something that you couldn’t have changed, no matter what you did. If she was going to do a runner, there’s not a lot you could have done to stop her. Maybe it was just in her nature.”

“Perhaps,” he conceded. “However, that did not explain the pain and the hardships that followed her departure.”

“Have you ever considered that maybe you were better off with her gone?” she questioned.

His head flipped round as he glared at her.

“In the sense that if she really didn’t want to be a wife and mother – wouldn’t it have been going against the grain to force her to stay?” she explained. “Like how good a mother would she have been to Legolas if she was there against her will? How much would you have suffered as her husband?”

“You are far too philosophical,” he muttered under his breath after a tense silence.

“And you, my friend, are a little bit jaded,” she said softly. Her deep blue eyes met his as they walked. “What happened was for a reason, everything in life is – even _this._ What the hell the reason is, I don’t know. But maybe you married the wrong woman…did you ever think about that?”

“Yes,” he answered gruffly. “Many times. And yes, I did. But-“

“No buts,” she interrupted. “She’s out of your life because there’s something better for you somewhere. You just have to find it. I have to keep telling myself that every time something goes chaotic in my life, otherwise I’d crumble. It’s psychology one-oh-one, Thranduil.”

“I have the opinion that you are misplaced in your line of work,” he said. “You should have been in counselling or such like.”

She laughed. “Question.”

“Ask away.”

She came to a stop and tilted her head back to look up at him. “Do you still love her?”

“No,” came the instant reply. “I resent what she did.”

“And resentment can only hold you back. Let it go.”

Ice blue eyes stared into hers, and the thought shot through her brain that he could see her inner thoughts.

“I have, to some extent. But sometimes, like when the subject arises, the anger comes back. Anger for the innocent child who grew up wondering where his mother was, why all his friends had mothers who loved them,” he said. “That’s a difficult thing to explain to a child.”

She nodded morosely. “My heart breaks for the wee boy who looked for a mother,” she said softly. Her shoulders straightened. “But he had you. And don’t sell yourself short. You raised him. You said yourself, you made sacrifices for him. That counts, and it’ll always count in his mind.”

He said nothing for a few moments, then wound his arm through hers. “It’s getting colder. Let’s head back,” he said as they began walking again. “I’m pretty sure I felt a few drops of sleety rain.”

“I did too,” she said, matching her step to his, which she knew he’d deliberately shortened. By the time they’d covered no more than a few hundred yards, the skies opened and tossed down copious amounts of what was indeed cold, sleety rain. The large droplets hammered through the gaps in the trees, quickly soaking them.

Laughing and screeching at the ice cold, they started running back towards their camp. Both were drenched by the time they reached it.

“Quick, get inside,” Thranduil urged as he held the side of the tarpaulin up for her.

She complied and scooted inside on her hands and knees, still laughing. “Oh my fucking God, I’m _soaked_!” she exclaimed. “Fuck!”

He grinned as he slid in beside her and pulled the plastic back into position. “At least we have some degree of shelter with the trees above us,” he said.

“I need to get this off,” she grunted as she wriggled out of her hoodie.

His eyes instantly dropped to her breasts, where her nipples had hardened and were very visible against the wet fabric of her t-shirt. He swallowed and risked a glance upwards.

She’d gone still, and was just staring at him.

His cheeks flushed and he clenched his teeth together, looking away. “Put something dry on, or you’ll get sick,” he said.

Silence.

He looked back at her again, and felt a bolt of lust shoot through his body at the look in her eyes.

Pure sex.

Very slowly, she inched towards him. “I know you feel it too,” she whispered, her gaze on his full mouth. “Maybe it’s the situation we’re in, or maybe it’s genuine chemistry, but I know you feel it.”

He swallowed again. “Yes, I do. But I don’t want you to get hurt,” he whispered back.

Her eyes lifted to his, which were so close. “Maybe we’ll never be found, and maybe this is a good last memory.” Her whispers sent shudders of desire down his spine.

“We _will_ be found,” he said hoarsely. “But what a memory…”

Her eyes drifted closed as she leaned closer still, with a gentle brush of her lips against his. They felt warm against hers, despite the freezing cold conditions. The kiss was light and brief before she pulled back a little.

He followed her, returning the kiss with a soft one of his own. His heart pounded like a drum as he fought to control his desire for her. Again they parted a little.

Within a split second, he dived for her, crashing his mouth against hers in a kiss that conveyed a deep hunger; a hunger that demanded to be fed and sated. She responded without a thought as she tangled her fingers in his wet hair and gripped hard. His hands slid around her and tugged her body flush against his, and she almost moaned at the sensation.

The blankets felt soft and inviting against her back as he pushed her down. His large body loomed over hers as she gave in to her instincts and whimpered softly. Her mouth opened under his and he immediately pushed his tongue inside to explore.

She welcomed him.

Her hands released their grip on his hair and began to wander. Cold fingers shakily peeled back the edges of the jacket he wore and pushed it down his arms. The shirt underneath was soaked, and she hastily undid the buttons to rid him of it. His hands wandered around her back and slid under the edge of her t-shirt, settling onto bare, wet skin.

Her head tipped back with a deep groan as he kissed down her neck, his hands massaging the soft skin at her waist.

“More,” she murmered.

He chuckled softly against her. “It would seem that I am not the only one affected here,” he said huskily. His lips moved tantalisingly lower, down onto her shoulder.

“Ahhh…you’d better believe it,” she gasped. Her hips wriggled below his as she tried to ease the gnawing ache that was spreading through her. “I knew us sleeping so close was a bad idea…” Her words trailed off as his mouth returned to hers. Soft, warm lips gently bit and sucked at hers, bringing forth deep moans of both pleasure and need.

“I’m glad that you didn’t feel the hard-on I had when I woke up this morning,” he whispered against her mouth. “I could have chopped trees down with the damned thing.”

The kiss turned into a smile and back again as they devoured each other. Bodies twisted and turned in the effort of ridding themselves of their clothing, both trying not to break contact. Naked flesh met equally naked flesh, the cool water quickly drying in the heat that was building rapidly between the two. Hands wandered, fingers teased, mouths kissed and licked, teeth bit, hair was pulled, and limbs intertwined as they rolled over in the small space.

“If this is wrong, then it’s never felt so right,” Kira murmered. Her mouth was busy sucking on the warm flesh of his neck, with his fingers digging into her hips as he bucked below her. “I need you, Thranduil…I _need_ you…”

“You have me,” he rasped back. “All of me.”

She lifted her upper body slightly and her lips parted in a silent _oh_ as the wet tip of him brushed against her. He gazed up at her in the dim light, watching her pupils dilate. Her mouth opened more as he lifted his hips and slowly pushed inside her, and her fingers dug into his upper arms.

“Yessss,” she hissed, closing her eyes in pleasure as her body stretched to accommodate him. “OhmyGod yessss…”

Fire raced through her veins as he sheathed himself fully within her. He went still for a few moments, to allow her to adjust to the intrusion, before slowly withdrawing.

And thrusting in again.

And withdrawing.

And thrusting in again.

Her hips rolled each time he pushed home, and her breathing turned to short, sharp pants. She tightened her knees against his sides in an effort to bring them even closer as she held on to him.

“You feel like heaven,” he whispered. His arms tightened around her back and pulled her to lie on his chest. Her heart hammered so hard, he could feel it through the intimate contact. “You feel so good, baby, so damned good…”

She squeaked in surprise as he flipped the two of them back over. Grabbing her wrists, he pinned them to the blanket with one of his as he increased his pace. His hips set a pounding rhythm that made her cry out in passion every time he sunk into her. Her legs crossed at his waist as she rode the storm raging between them. Each thrust sent waves of pleasure through her, starting from her toes and flooding upwards. Long, silky blonde hair tickled her sensitised flesh as he moved. Hot skin burned against her own. Strong muscles flexed beneath satin-soft skin. Power bled from his tensed body as he rocked them both towards a state of sexual euphoria.

It was all Kira could do to breathe.

Every move he made weakened her further and further, until she became a boneless mess in his arms. Heated kisses travelled over her face, down her neck, along her shoulders, and he twisted his upper body to close his mouth over her left nipple, sucking in rhythm to his thrusting.

She howled as her internal muscles clenched around him, and he smiled to himself. His hard length pounded deeper with each thrust until her whole body quivered and trembled.

“Does that feel good, sweetheart?” he whispered into her ear.

“Yes!” she cried. “Thranduil, I’m going to come…oh my God…please don’t stop… _Thranduil!!!”_ Her body exploded in a powerful climax that sent shudders from her head to her feet.

“Come for me, baby,” he whispered harshly. “Come for me…” His thrusts increased as he chased his own completion, reaching it at speed. It burst within him with a ferocity that shocked him; the crudely-constructed tent seemed to swirl around him as he lost sense of where they were.

The sounds of laboured breathing filled the tiny space as they struggled to regulate their air intake and their hammering heartbeats. Kira closed her eyes and turned her face into his neck; sated and satisfied. For the first time in years, she felt a deep sense of contentment.

The intense feeling lifted her body towards a floating sensation, and she tightened her arms around the strong body on top of her.

*****

Thranduil frowned before he even opened his eyes.

Something was different.

Kira stirred in his arms, slowly waking from a deep slumber. “Thranduil?” she questioned sleepily.

“I’m here,” he said, and tightened his arm around her shoulders. He opened his eyes and frowned more.

The reality of the situation hit them both at the same time, and they released their hold on one another and shot into a sitting position.

“Helicopters!” Kira gasped. “That’s helicopters!”

“The rescue teams are here,” he said, and both dived for clothing. Dry garments lay folded in one corner, Kira’s handiwork when she’d been lost for something to do the day before, and they quickly dressed.

“I was beginning to think they’d never find us,” she panted as she tugged on a pair of jeans.

“And I told you that they would, it just takes time,” he grinned. “Come on; we’ll have to let them know we’re here and we’ve survived.”

She stuffed her feet into her sneakers and scampered out of the tent behind him on her hands and knees, shooting to her feet once she was clear. “Over there!” she shouted, pointing to their right. “There they are!”

Three helicopters circled and banked towards the back of them.

The two looked at each other in dismay.

“Perhaps they didn’t see us,” Thranduil said.

“Then we have to draw their attention!” She turned and took off at a run, hurtling through the trees to the rocky outlook several hundred yards away. Heavy footsteps behind her assured her she wasn’t alone.

She jumped up onto the rocks as she approached them, and scaled her way to the highest one. Thranduil was at her side within seconds.

“Over here!” she roared at the top of her voice. Her arms waved frantically as she jumped up and down.

He waved both arms in the air at her side, desperate to catch the eye of any one of the three. Both shouted and yelled, knowing that they’d never be heard over the roar of the helicopters’ engines.

“Be careful!” he yelled to her. “It’s uneven up here!”

She ignored him and continued to bounce up and down, screaming and waving. One of the choppers turned towards them.

“They’ve seen us!” she yelled. “They’ve seen-“ Her words were cut off by a scream as she lost her footing and slipped down the rock face.

Thranduil roared in anguish as she crashed downwards, her body smashing off protruding rocks. Panic flooded through him as he raced down after her. His feet slid as he frantically tried to reach her, but she kept falling.

He came to a sudden stop with a howl of pain as she landed on a smooth section. Her body lay still, twisted at an unnatural angle. Blood slowly collected in a pool around her head.


	6. Life Goes On

** CHAPTER SIX – LIFE GOES ON  **

_One year later._

Thranduil sat behind his large desk. The polished wood reflected the gleam from the overhead lights; small halogen bulbs that were set into the ceiling of the room. Not a speck of dust was visible. His laptop screen was black, and his large notepad blank. An expensive pen lay to one side, unused.

His ice blue eyes looked, but saw nothing.

His thoughts were where they usually were – in the past.

One of the helicopters that had landed at the crash site had airlifted Kira, with attending medics working hard to save her life. He never knew where they took her.

He never knew her surname.

He never found out if she survived or not.

He’d asked, he’d pleaded, he’d begged, and he’d threatened. But no-one could or would tell him anything. _Patient confidentiality_ and _protocol and procedure_ had been among the answers he’d been given. The Private Detective he’d hired a few days after his release from hospital had met with a brick wall. The airline company refused to reveal details for any of the passengers. The medical services refused to reveal names of their patients. Insurance companies refused to divulge who, if any, had received a financial settlement from the airline.

He himself had been awarded just shy of a quarter of a million dollars. Investigations had shown that a cargo door on the flight had become detached, causing an explosive decompression in the plane. This had been why the floor had collapsed, the result being severed hydraulic cables. The flight had spiralled out of control, with the pilots having no handling whatsoever over the aircraft, and thus plummeting down into the forest. There had been no power to the stricken craft, explaining the absence of lighting or engine control.

The body of the plane, he’d found out, had split into three sections. Only he and Kira had survived, being in the tail section. The wings had been torn off as they’d hurtled through the forest and caused a blaze quite a few miles from where the tail had settled. The search and rescue teams had spent three weeks hunting for bodies, and still hadn’t accounted for everyone on the flight.

His heart twisted as he thought of that doomed night.

So many passengers had boarded, either going home, on vacation, or perhaps meeting family members who they hadn’t seen in a long time.

And they never would.

A thousand doctors and specialists had questioned him when he’d been helicoptered to the hospital. Endless questions on the crash, how he survived, what he’d done, did anyone else survive, where were they, what injuries did he have, how did he feel. They’d angered him within minutes.

He’d wanted to know where Kira was, where they’d taken her.

“I’m sorry, Sir, I don’t have that information.”

“I’m sorry, Sir, I don’t know.”

“I can try to find out for you, Sir.”

“I apologise Sir, but I’m not allowed to divulge the details of any patient.”

“With respect, Sir, policy dictates that we do not part with anyone’s details.”

He sighed as he looked down at his hands which rested on the desk, clasped together. Hands that had held her as he’d made love to her, hands that had stroked her hair and comforted her when she’d been upset. Hands that had held her tightly to ward off the freezing cold.

Memories surged forwards in his mind with alarming speed.

The warmth radiating from her as they’d snuggled together, fast asleep. The softness of her long hair as he’d buried his face in it, absorbing her unique aroma. The feeling of her long legs tucked between his during the night. The taste of her as he’d kissed her, drowning them both in a fast-flowing whirlpool of pleasure. The sparkle in her dark blue eyes when she laughed. The feel of her smooth skin against his own.

He closed his eyes as he released another heartfelt sigh.

She’d said that everything happened for a reason, and then had been torn from his life as quickly as she’d been thrown into it. Not a day had passed without her invading his thoughts. Each morning when he opened his eyes, she was the first thing he thought of, as though she’d been firmly implanted into his mind through the night.

At times, she had been.

He dreamed of her sometimes.

And awoke with a heavy feeling in his heart.

The few days they’d spent together had revived feelings that he’d thought were long dead, long gone, non-existent, and never to be experienced again in his lifetime. She’d proven him wrong. She’d managed to infuse herself deep within his soul, and the long year since they had parted had been bleak and miserable. His heart ached for her. He slowly withdrew further into himself as the months tolled on, settling into a permanent state of melancholy and memories.

His eyes turned towards the laptop, but he couldn’t bring himself to power it up. The meetings scheduled for the day held no interest for him, and if he was being honest with himself, work was the last place he wanted to be. Normally his work consumed him and drove him, but since the crash, that had petered out. His energy had slowly depleted and left him with hardly any interest in everyday life.

Had he fallen in love with her in the aftermath of the fated flight?

He didn’t know.

Sex didn’t equal love in any form, any race, or any scenario. But he’d been hit hard when they’d been separated. That had led him to think that there was a high possibility that he’d done what he’d sworn he’d never do again – fallen in love.

And hard.

His hand moved towards the laptop and stopped. There was no point. He couldn’t care less who or what was scheduled. They could go to hell.

*****

High heels clicked rapidly on the polished floor in a steady rhythm. People moved aside with a nod of acknowledgement or a friendly smile. The steady flow of foot-traffic swirled around the inside of the building.

The feet didn’t pause or stop.

They continued along the hallway and across the main foyer to a plush seating area. A large crystal vase of red and pink carnations sat in the middle of a long, low table made of deep red wood. Artistic carvings of leaves and vines wound around the edges of the surface. A magazine lay next to the flowers. Expensive drapes framed a large window overlooking the busy street outside which was swarmed with vehicles and pedestrians. The quality of the glass ensured the sounds remained outside, where they belonged.

The feet came to a stop.

“Ms Wells?”

The woman seated in the plush armchair looked up.

“May I get you anything? A coffee?” A pleasant smile accompanied the question.

The woman shook her head. “No, thankyou. I’m fine,” she replied.

“Of course. You shouldn’t be waiting too long.” The smile brightened, and the heels turned and walked away again.

Click-click click-click.

Sorrow-filled eyes turned to survey the surroundings. The waiting area was decorated in a way that displayed immense wealth, but not in a garish way in the slightest. There was nothing tacky or over-the-top anywhere; simply tasteful furnishings, subtle warm colours, and a general air of ultimate professionalism. Various people moved around, completely immersed in whatever they were doing. Couriers came and went, dropping off and collecting paperwork and packages. Telephones rang out, always answered with politeness and courtesy.

The woman tapped the toes of one foot as she glanced at the clock above the welcome desk to her left. Exhaustion washed over her in strong waves. Even her bones felt tired. Anxiety slowly bled through her body, so slowly that she didn’t even notice it at first. It grew steadily as the minute hand continued to tick.

The clicking of heels echoed along the hall towards her and she turned her head. The employee who’d offered her a coffee gave her a warm smile as she disappeared into an office several yards away from the waiting area.

She sighed, closing her eyes in silent despair.

*****

Thranduil sat behind the desk with his head in his hands.

The District Manager on the other side droned on and on without cease.

Eventually, the blonde moved one hand and held it up, demanding silence, without moving his head. A flick of his fingers towards the door indicated _get out._ A tense moment passed, before the manager turned heel and strode angrily out of the room. The door slammed closed with a loud bang.

Thranduil sighed and leaned back in his seat. The leather creaked as his weight settled against the backrest.

People.

People and their incessant complaining. Constant moans and grievances. Non-stop gripes and protests. He wasn’t in the mood to listen, and hadn’t been for a year. Ever since the plane crash, his outlook on life had changed. He was fading from routine life, and he knew it.

Pushing the seat back with a heavy sigh, he stood and wandered to the massive window behind the desk. Both hands pressed against the glass and he leaned his forehead onto the cool, smooth surface. The deep feeling of grief wouldn’t leave him, no matter how hard he tried to expel it.

He was being ridiculous.

A few days with a woman, and _this_ was the end result?? Moping around? No appetite for months on end? Zero interest in anything going on in the world? Sleepless nights and disturbed dreams? Relentless regret at not finding out Kira’s last name so that he could find her? Bitter-sweet memories of a night tangled in her arms while he took her past the stars?

He leaned his head forwards so that he was looking at the floor. Something had to change, and fast. With no interest whatsoever in his work, things were going to start falling apart around him, and fast. Legolas had noticed the difference in him as soon as he’d left the hospital and returned home. He’d known something pivotal had happened to his father, but not what. Thranduil had told him that he’d met someone, but hadn’t gone into detail, leaving his son to assume that he was grieving over not knowing of her fate.

He hadn’t added anything further.

Nobody would ever understand what he was feeling. Hell, even he didn’t understand. What chance would anyone else have? How could he explain his heart being broken beyond repair after spending only a couple of days with a stranger?

He couldn’t.

Nothing about it made sense to anyone with a shred of intellect. And he was a clever man.

He slowly pushed against the glass and turned away from the stunning view which hadn’t held his attention. Heavy steps took him back to his desk, where he lifted a few sheets of paper and regarded them with little more than a scowl. Three more applicants were scheduled for interviewing, and he didn’t have the heart to do it. As a rule, he always took the time to do the interview process personally, handpicking the successful applicant according to his instinct and how they presented themselves.

He closed his eyes and took several slow, deep breaths to settle his inner battle for control and professionalism. He could do this.

A soft knock on the door brought him back to the present, and he opened his eyes again. “Enter,” he said, his rich, deep voice echoing in the office.

The door opened and a head appeared.

“Sir, your one-thirty appointment is here.”

Ignoring the urge to simply walk out of the building and not look back, he nodded. “Thankyou, Elise,” he replied. “Please show her in.”

“Of course,” the older woman said with a single nod. “Ms Wells? Please come through,” she added as she turned to address the person behind her. She stepped aside and disappeared.

Thranduil tossed the paperwork onto his desk and scratched at an imaginary mark on the wood. His eyes lifted as soft footsteps approached the open doorway.

His eyes widened.

His jaw dropped.

His heart stopped.

A loud roar whooshed in his ears as he stared in astonishment.

“Kira?” he whispered. “ _Kira_?”

An unsteady step moved him from behind the desk, where he stopped.

The woman before him had changed, but she was definitely Kira. Her hair was even longer, now tinted with red in place of the purple she’d sported previously, and tied back into a mid-height pony tail. She’d lost weight, but still carried a beautiful figure. A pair of tight-fitting black trousers hugged her long legs like a second skin, topped off with a light blue blouse. A black dress jacket was slung over one arm.

Kira stared back at him with a look in her eyes that was a complex combination of astonishment, shock, and horror. She blinked hard as she tried to focus, with her heartbeat accelerating rapidly.

Thranduil stood next to the large desk set a small distance from the huge window. The collar of his black shirt was open, revealing his neck and the start of his chest. Long blonde hair flowed over his shoulders down to his waist. Dark grey trousers moulded his strong thighs. Ice blue eyes that had widened at the sight of her stared into hers.

Her heart pounded so hard, it was becoming painful. Her chest heaved as she gasped for air.

If she’d known she was going to come face-to-face with him, she’d never have turned up for this damned interview. The last twelve months had been utter agony for her, and she’d fought with every fibre of her being, dragged every ounce of strength she had from her soul to forget him and move on.

Day after day after day since she’d regained consciousness in the hospital, he’d invaded her thoughts. Her dreams. Her fantasies. Her life.

He’d refused to leave, and continued to haunt her relentlessly.

Memories flooded back as she stared across the office at him, at the God who’d awakened a part of her that she didn’t even know existed. The one being who’d managed to make her feel a love so intense, it had almost destroyed her. Everything had crashed to pieces around her as she’d healed, leaving her heart and her soul bleeding to a depth that she couldn’t control.

Thranduil was a memory – nothing more.

He could never be anything more, ever. Not while she drew breath.

“Kira?”

His softly whispered question dragged her from her state of shock, and she gulped air in. He’d slowly moved to stand in front of the desk, with only several feet separating them. Tall and imposing, he looked as handsome as ever, and her wounded heart began to bleed again.

She took a step back.

His eyebrows came down fractionally in confusion.

She took another step back, her head shaking rapidly. “I can’t…” she whispered brokenly.

“Can’t what?” he asked, his tone soft. “Kira…talk to me. You can’t what?”

She reminded him of a skittish animal, a trapped animal looking for escape. Just as that thought hit him, she moved another step.

“I’m sorry,” she gasped. “I’m sorry…I can’t do this.”

His whole body froze in shock as she turned and fled, disappearing out of sight.


	7. Revelations

** CHAPTER SEVEN – REVELATIONS  **

Thranduil stood gawking.

One second, the only being who had filled his heart and mind over the last solid year stood within feet of him, then vanished into thin air.

He blinked, and snapped back to reality. “Kira!”

Silence was his only reply.

He moved, charging across the office floor and out of the doorway. People moved around the hallway and as he looked further along towards the waiting area, they drifted across his line of vision. But Kira was nowhere to be seen.

“Elise! Where did Kira go?” he demanded, grabbing his secretary’s arm as she passed.

“Who?” A frown of confusion arched down over her brown eyes.

“The woman you just brought into my office,” he snapped impatiently. “Where did she go?!”

“Ms Wells? I thought she was with you,” she exclaimed.

“If she was, I would not be questioning her whereabouts,” he grunted. “Find her. Find her now!”

He released her arm and hurried over to the main entrance area of the building. His head spun as he turned in a circle, desperate for a glimpse of her. But he saw nothing. His eyes scanned the flow of people moving around him, but she wasn’t one of them. His heart fell.

Following his instinct, he hurried across the foyer to the main doors, bursting through them and out onto the crowded street. Rain fell from the heavens, soaking him within seconds.

“Kira!” he shouted. “Kira!”

Several pairs of eyes turned his way as people swept past, but none of them were her deep blue ones.

His head whipped from side to side as he tried to locate her. Nothing. He picked a direction and headed to his right, crossed the busy intersection and stopped as he gazed around. Still nothing.

With his heartbeat pounding, he went back the way and shouldered past groups of pedestrians. His feet pounded into puddles on the sidewalk and splashed rainwater on his trousers, but he ignored it. Finding her was more important. Fate had sent her back to him, and he wasn’t going to lose her again.

“Kira!” he bellowed, coming to a stop. His shoulders sagged as no-one answered, no-one appeared out of the crowd to respond. He felt like roaring his frustration at the heavy grey clouds overhead, but that would achieve nothing. It wouldn’t tell him where she’d gone, and it wouldn’t make her materialise in front of him.

He carried on, peering into streaked, wet windows of stores as he hunted. He scoured the sea of faces for her familiar one. He shouted and shouted her name. His heart was crushed further each time he shouted and received no answer.

Standing in the midst of a never-ending stream of passers-by in the pouring rain, he’d never felt so alone in his life. She’d been _so_ close – in the same room, breathing the same air, her eyes on his. But she’d disappeared quicker than she’d arrived, and the bustle and activity around him seemed to melt away into a blur as he stood. Rain trickled down his perfect cheekbones and clung to his dark eyelashes, but he didn’t even notice. All he could think about was Kira.

And how once again, she was gone.

*****

Elise glanced up at her boss in concern as she handed the requested paperwork over. “All her details should be there,” she told him.

He took the application form and strode into his office. The door slammed closed at his back and he stalked to his chair, throwing himself down heavily on it. The paperwork drifted down onto the desk and he rested his chin on one hand as he scanned the first page.

Name. Date of birth. Address.

_That_ was what he wanted.

No contact number, no email address.

Damn.

His eyebrows came down in a slight frown as he read the information in black and white. She’d recently moved, and from the details she’d given, only in the last two months. Her previous address was in an up-market part of the city, which made him wonder why she’d moved in the first place.

No next of kin were listed.

His full mouth pursed as he thought that over. She’d mentioned a year ago that she had serious issues with her mother, but he’d thought she would have listed her in case of an emergency.

He sighed to himself as he continued to read, going to the next page. Her work experience was second to none, having worked as a personal assistant in a prestigious company for several years. His eyes narrowed as he looked away from the application form and stared at a blank spot across the room.

Why on earth had she applied for a cleaning job? Her work history was solid proof that she was exceptionally experienced in the boardroom, so why would someone with those credentials want to mop floors and empty the trash?

The shock in her eyes as she’d entered his office was clear proof that she’d had no idea who she’d be facing for the interview. He was pretty sure that she didn’t even know he would be there, or had any connection with the company. She’d reminded him of a deer caught in headlights on a dark night. And the way she’d shot out of the room like her tail was on fire was another indicator of her not knowing.

His gaze shifted to the telephone as it started ringing.

“Dad! Can you do me a favour?” Legolas’s urgent question sounded in his ear as he answered it. “My bank card has been declined – can you drop by the university with some money? I’ll pay you back, I just need to go into the bank and sort it.”

Thranduil closed his eyes. “Yes, that’s no problem,” he said. “Do you need anything else? What’s wrong with your bank card?”

“Not sure,” his son replied. “There’s definitely money in the account, that’s a definite. I’m okay for everything else though, thanks.”

“No problem. I can be there within the hour,” he said.

“Thanks, Dad. Love you,” Legolas said.

He could hear the smile in his son’s words. “Love you too, son.”

The call disconnected and he leaned back in his chair, interlocking his fingers on his abdomen. Kira wasn’t going anywhere. She could hold on for an hour or so.

*****

Street lights passed as Thranduil slowly guided his car through the twists and turns. What he’d originally intended to be an hour had turned into several, as crisis after crisis presented itself and he had no other option than to deal with each one. Legolas was cheerfully sorted out with his temporary cash flow problem. The Manager who’d been in his office earlier in the day had resurfaced and threatened to quit if an emergency meeting between himself, Thranduil, and the staff member who was the cause of the dispute wasn’t arranged immediately. Frantic phone calls had made their way to him with the phone ringing every time he attempted to free himself from his work obligations, each one demanding his attention.

Having finally quit work, night had started to fall over the city and a light drizzle of rain hissed onto the sidewalks. The car pulled to a smooth, silent stop outside a large apartment building.

He looked up at it, looked at the address he’d hurriedly written down, then back to the block. Surely not..? He frowned as he shook his head, climbing out of the vehicle and making sure to lock it. The cold breeze whipped his hair around his arms as he approached the doorway of the building.

A buzzer entry system was fixed to the wall beside the door. Wires hanging from it was the first thing he noticed, followed by the cracked pane of glass in the door panel. The door coincidentally, which wasn’t secured. The slight touch of his hand against it pushed it open with no resistance.

Slow strides carried him through a second door and into a desolate hallway. His head tipped up as he surveyed his surroundings. Graffiti dotted the walls along with several indecipherable tags and badly scrawled words. The floor had stains here and there, and he didn’t even want to begin trying to figure out what they were or where they had come from. Expensive shoes stepped over or around them as he climbed the stairs.

The air grew colder the higher he went, passing floor after floor, and questionable scenery along the way. Broken beer bottles were discarded on the landing to the second floor. A drunk lay comatose in the doorway to the fifth. Bags of trash were piled up on the sixth. He dreaded to think what he’d find if he went much further. Finally reaching the seventh, he battled conflicting feelings as he strode along towards apartment nine. Kira was a grown woman, capable of making her own choices and decisions, and not his responsibility. But he hated to think of her living in a place like this.

He stood for a moment in front of the door and collected his thoughts.

A solid knock followed, one that demanded an answer and wouldn’t stand for being ignored.

The door swung open after a few seconds.

Kira’s face visibly turned white as her eyes met his.

“Th…Thranduil?” she gasped. “What…what are you doing here?”

A second or two passed as his quick brain assessed everything within his field of vision. The light switch to her left was loose. A single bulb lit the room behind her, hanging from the ceiling with no shade. The walls were bare. The floor at her feet was bare. His attention moved to her. Her eyes were underlined with dark shadows, and a haunted look lived in the deep blue depths. Her cheekbones seemed more prominent than when he’d known her a year ago, indicating weight loss. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, but didn’t look as though she’d been taking care of it. A loose t-shirt hung from her frame, and her legs were encased in dark grey joggers.

“You left without any explanation. I had to come and make sure you were alright,” he said. One eyebrow arched. “Are you?”

Her mouth opened then closed again as she blinked in confusion. “Of course I am. I’m fine.”

Another silence.

“It’s been a long time,” he acknowledged, his voice softer.

She nodded, one hand still on the door. “Yes. It has.” She swallowed. “How have you been?”

He didn’t reply, but stared at her.

She began to fidget where she stood, clearly uncomfortable with his presence.

“May I come in?” he asked finally.

A nervous glance over her shoulder didn’t go unnoticed. “Now? Uh…it’s kind of late, and-“

“It is eight o’clock at night,” he said as he pushed past her and into the apartment. “Hardly what I would call _late._ ”

The door closed quietly behind him as he stood in the middle of the room and turned in a slow circle. Sharp eyes absorbed everything. Or in this case, nothing. The room was empty, apart from a threadbare rug and a wooden chair in the corner next to the window.

“What’s going on, Kira?” he asked as he turned and his ice blue gaze settled on her.

She seemed to almost shrink under that look. “What d’you mean?” Her arms folded defensively over her abdomen.

One hand indicated the room in an elegant wave. “This. You cannot be living here.”

“I’ve not long moved in,” she told him. “As in the day before yesterday.”

The small vertical crease between his eyebrows showed itself as he frowned. “Your employment application states otherwise. You wrote on it that you moved two months ago.”

“I could hardly put that I was in the middle of moving at the time of the interview,” she told him. “Employers want to see someone with a stable place of residence.”

“Stable,” he murmered. “Interesting choice of words. My horses have better stables than this, Kira.”

“I didn’t know you had horses,” she said.

“There is a lot that we don’t know about each other,” he said. His sharp gaze never left her, while her eyes seemed to look everywhere but at him. He took a step towards her. “I tried to find you,” he whispered. “After I was released from the hospital, I tried to find you.”

She swallowed. “I was kept in for quite a while,” she told him.

“I pressured everyone for information. The airline. The medical services. The rescue organisation. Insurance companies. Nobody would tell me anything. I did not know if you had even survived,” he said. Another step closer. “I regretted never finding out your last name. Sorely regretted not asking.” He saw deep pain in her eyes as she looked up at him, now standing only two feet from her.

“I wondered what had happened to you too,” she admitted. “I’ve thought about you a lot.”

“As much as I’ve thought of you?”

A muscle in her cheek tightened as she clenched her jaw. “Maybe.”

He took a deep breath. “Why did you move?”

“Circumstances change,” she replied, moving over to the cupboards set against the right hand wall. “Coffee?”

“Yes…please,” he said.

She moved around, and he watched her as she prepared two cups and boiled the kettle. She asked how he took it, and he told her.

“My stuff should be here hopefully tomorrow,” she said as she handed him a cup. “These things never seem to happen when they’re supposed to.”

“Tell me about what happened after you were airlifted,” he said.

She leaned back against the worktop and blew into her cup. “I was unconscious for two days, and woke up wondering what the hell had happened, and where the hell I was,” she replied. “But the doctors and nurses were really good with me. I’d broken my leg when I fell from the rocks, so that set me back a bit.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said. He walked over to the window and gazed out into the building opposite, presenting her with his back.

She studied the broad set of his shoulders, his amazing blonde hair cascading down his back, and the long legs that were braced shoulder-width apart. “Shit happens. I’m lucky I survived.”

His head turned, giving her his profile. “Kira – something is not right here,” he said. His words were quiet. “And do not tell me I’m wrong – I’m never wrong. My instinct is always true, and has never let me down yet.” He turned fully. His eyes held her prisoner without physical restraints. “Talk to me.”

She lifted both hands in a confused gesture. “What is there to be wrong? I don’t understand where you’re coming from. I’ve just moved in, my stuff hasn’t caught up with me yet. Simple. End of story. No dramatics, no mystery. Just me trying to bide my time until I get settled.”

His eyes lowered to the floor as he contemplated his next move. “Are you with anyone?” he asked eventually.

“In what way, like as in a partner? No.”

His full mouth pursed as he nodded.

“You?”

“No,” he replied. “No-one since…since you, since the crash.”

A faint pink blush coloured her cheeks and she looked away nervously.

“Kira…do you regret what we did?” he asked.

“No.” The single word answer came out as a whisper.

“Neither do I. I have thought about you constantly ever since,” he told her. He set his cup down on the window ledge and walked towards her. “You changed me.”

Her nostrils flared a little as she fought with her emotions. “Yeah…a lot of things changed,” she said.

“You disappeared from my life as quickly as you were forced into it. I do not want to lose touch with you again,” he whispered. “You are precious to me. I cannot deny it.”

Tears burned her eyes as she met his, but she refused to allow them to fall. “I’ll always cherish the time we had together,” she said determinedly. “I don’t think I’d have made it if you hadn’t been there.”

“Is that the only reason you think of me? Because we took each other through it?” he questioned. “Tell me, Kira, because I need to know. Not a single day has passed without me thinking of you, wondering where you were, wishing I was with you. Not one single day. Tell me that it has all been in my imagination, and I will walk away. Tell me to go.”

“I’m not the same person I was a year ago,” she managed to say. “Maybe you _should_ go.”

The anguish that flitted over his face almost broke her heart.

“Neither of us are the same,” he whispered painfully. “You cannot expect either of us to be; it’s impossible after what we went through. But forget the crash, forget everything else. I am talking about _you_ as a person, about what we had together. What we did. The time we spent with each other. The attraction we had.”

She deliberately shifted so she was facing away from him. “Everything has changed,” she said softly. “We can’t turn the clock back.”

He closed the gap between them and touched her arm. “I know,” he said. “And my instinct right now is telling me that you are hurting.”

One solitary tear slid down her cheek, but she made no noise.

Thranduil gasped a breath in and took her cup from her before he folded his arms around her and crushed her against him. Her body stiffened briefly then she relaxed against his chest and tucked her head against his shoulder. He felt her hands grip the fabric of his shirt at his back as he inhaled deeply. He felt the shudder that shot up her spine. He felt the changes in her body through the weight that she had lost.

Raised voices made him lift his head.

“That’s just the neighbours,” she whispered. “They fight all the time.”

His arms tightened a little. “I’ve missed you,” he whispered into her hair. “I’ve really missed you…”

Her fists clenched harder on his shirt fabric as she breathed hard. For only a few moments, it wouldn’t hurt to be in his arms once more. Just a few moments. Just the once.

A loud crash made him jerk away from her. “What the hell was that?” he demanded.

“The folks next door are a bit boisterous when they fight,” she sighed. Her head whipped round as a high-pitched cry echoed from the other room.

Thranduil’s eyes shot back to hers and his lips parted.

“I’m babysitting for one of the neighbours down the hall,” she said quickly. “Give me a minute.”

His hands slid from her upper arms as she moved from him and disappeared through into the back room. He took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose; relief over having found her and confusion over her current situation were fighting for top spot within his mind.

Softly whispered words drifted through the slightly open doorway, and the crying eased a little. He wandered over to the cupboards and opened them. Each one was empty, except one. It contained a glass jar of coffee, a bag of sugar, and a box of powdered baby milk.

He frowned.

She had nothing in the place she called home.

Deciding he wanted more in the way of answers than she had given him, he crossed the floor to enter the room she’d gone into. Stopping dead in the doorway, his heart hammered.

Again, this room was empty, save a thick quilt on the floor. Kira sat cross-legged on it, cradling a baby; a very young baby. The child clung to her as her hand gently rubbed the little one’s back through a light pink sleepsuit. Her head lifted and her tear-filled eyes met his.

The child, sensing another presence, turned her head and looked up at him.

His breath left him.

Little tufts of soft baby hair stood up where she had been curled up asleep.

_White blonde_ tufts of baby hair.

Baby blue eyes gazed up into his.

Baby _ice blue_ eyes.


	8. Puzzle Pieces

** CHAPTER EIGHT – PUZZLE PIECES  **

Thranduil’s heart pounded so hard, he was sure it could be heard over the racket coming from the neighbours through the wall. He tried to speak, but he couldn’t. He tried to look away, but he couldn’t. He tried to gather his thoughts. But he couldn’t.

Silent tears streamed down Kira’s cheeks as she held his horrified gaze. Her arms tightened around the child she held, in a protective manner.

“Please don’t take her away from me,” she whispered brokenly. “Please. She’s all I have. I wouldn’t have made it if it hadn’t been for her. Please don’t take her away.” Her shoulders shook as she broke down, giving in to heartfelt sobs that shook her body. “Please!”

His heart broke.

“No-one is going to take her away,” he whispered, lowering himself slowly to sit on the quilt. “Why would you think otherwise?”

She was crying too hard to respond.

“Kira? Kira, talk to me,” he urged gently. “Tell me everything.”

Her head shook stubbornly as she sobbed, still clinging to the baby.

He closed his eyes against the anguish he felt, both his own, and coming from her in strong, pulsating waves of grief. “Listen to me, Kira,” he said, still in the same gentle tone. “I want to help you. I _know_ that something is terribly wrong here, but I cannot help if you do not talk to me. Let me in, please, Kira.”

“I can’t,” she gasped between sobs. “I can’t.”

The little one had stopped crying and was gazing at Thranduil instead, with curiosity and trust in equal balance within the eyes that were identical to his own.

He wanted more than anything to hold her, but knew that Kira was so fragile, it wouldn’t be a good idea to suggest it. He settled for gently touching a tender hand to the back of the child’s head.

A gummy smile was the response, and his own eyes filled with tears. “What is her name?” His question was hoarse, and was voiced with difficulty.

“Eden,” she whispered. “I called her Eden.”

“Eden,” he repeated softly. “It’s a beautiful name.”

The ruckus from through the wall was still on-going, and the baby jumped in fright as another loud crash sounded followed by more furious screaming. Another thump.

“This is not the place for either of you right now,” he said. “You will not get any rest. It’s too cold in here, too noisy, and you have no bed to sleep in.”

“It’s home,” she managed to say. “It’ll do.”

“It’s not good enough for you both,” he told her. “Let me find you somewhere better, somewhere warmer, at least if only for tonight. Please let me help.”

She heard the urgent plea as he spoke.

“I can’t walk away from here knowing that you are living like this,” he continued in a gentle tone. “It’s not comfortable for you, and it’s definitely not comfortable for Eden. Think of her, Kira. She needs to be warm and safe, somewhere where she will get the sleep she needs.”

Her eyes moved to his hand cradling the back of her daughter’s head. He was right. Eden deserved better than what she was trying to provide for her. “Where can we go?” she whispered. Tear-filled eyes lifted to his. “There’s nowhere. I don’t know anyone here.”

He swallowed away the lump in his throat. “You know me,” he whispered back. “You know that I would never hurt you or do anything which would cause you distress. I only wish to help you, both of you.” His amazing eyes seemed to stare deep into her soul, and she felt vulnerable as she sat rocking the baby.

He waited.

After a long, drawn-out silence, she finally gave a small nod.

He exhaled in relief, unaware that he’d even been holding his breath. “What do you need to take? Where are your clothes?”

Her cheeks reddened as she glanced over his shoulder, and he turned his head to see a small pile of garments neatly folded in a pile on the floor. The blouse and trousers she’d worn earlier that day were on the top.

“Ok,” he said. “Where are Eden’s things?”

An elbow indicated a brown paper grocery sack with the top rolled over.

Pain sliced through him as he looked back at her. “Come on,” he said, reluctantly retracting his hand and lifting himself to his feet. “Let’s get you both out of here.” He turned and lifted the grocery bag and her small pile of clothing, tucking them under one arm. A hand helped her to stand, and he placed it on her lower back as he gently guided her out of the room. He stopped at the cupboard which had the baby formula, and took it out.

“There are two sterilised bottles in the lower cupboard,” she quietly told him.

He glanced at her as he retrieved them, noticing the air of defeat emitting from her. Her posture, her voice, and her general demeanour spoke of someone who was spiritually broken and could take no more of what life had to throw.

The suit jacket he had on was quickly shrugged off his shoulders and settled around hers. He pulled it right around her so that it protected Eden as well, who was watching every move he made with innocent eyes. The smell of his cologne immediately filled Kira’s senses, and she felt light-headed.

“Hopefully this will make you a little warmer,” he said, picking up the clothing and the baby items. “Let’s go.”

She went before him out into the hallway, holding her child tightly against her chest. The door closed as he followed her, and his arm slid around her shoulder protectively as they crossed the landing towards the stairs. The altercation from her neighbours continued, with more screaming and cursing which gradually faded as they walked away from it.

“Can you manage to carry her down?” he asked. “Do you need me to carry her?”

“No,” she said instantly. “I can manage.”

“That’s fine. I don’t mean to push; I only want to help,” he reminded her as gently as he could.

“I know. I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Don’t be.” His arm tightened briefly on her shoulders. “You’ve had to make a lot of adjustments, and I know for a fact that things have been beyond difficult.”

She didn’t answer as they descended the stairs. Floor by floor disappeared until they were on ground level and walking out of the main entrance. A shiver rippled through her as the cold wind greeted her. He hurried her towards a gleaming black car and opened the rear door for her as he unlocked it.

“It’s probably safer for you to sit in the back as we have no child seat,” he explained.

She nodded and slid inside, and took the seat belt he handed her. The door closed quietly and he climbed into the front. Her eyes drifted up to the apartment building as he started the engine and warmth flooded the inside within seconds. They remained on the building as the vehicle pulled away from the sidewalk, then she settled back in silence.

Thranduil glanced at her in the mirror as he drove. He was concerned – more than concerned. He was worried about her. She’d gone too quiet, as though she’d locked herself away in her own little world. He wondered what was going through her head as she sat cradling the child. The child that he knew without a shadow of a doubt he’d fathered. The second those baby blue eyes had met his, he knew. Eden was the spitting image of him, right down to the dimple in her left cheek when she smiled.

His heart ached for what he’d missed.

Kira’s pregnancy. The excitement as her due date approached. The sleepless nights pending delivery. Helping the little one into the world. Her first cuddle. Walking the floor with her at night. Changing diapers. Feeding her. Her first smile, her first yawn, her first burp.

He pondered what Kira had gone through since they’d parted ways.

Behind him, her mind had closed off as she fought to protect her emotions. How could she tell this man, who was still practically a stranger, that she’d fallen so deeply in love with him in that short time they’d had together? That she’d been affected so badly she couldn’t move on? That she’d lost everything in her whole world, including her heart and soul?

The answer was simple.

She couldn’t.

Her life and her problems were not his burdens to shoulder. They were hers. Hers and hers alone. She’d brought their child into the world, and it was up to her to provide for her and protect her. Eden was an easy infant, with lots of smiles and plenty of cuddles for her mother. She rarely fussed, and slept well when undisturbed.

That wasn’t what had been keeping Kira awake at night.

It was Thranduil; the memory of him.

The scent of him, the touch of him. The feel of his warm body against hers. The look in his eyes as he’d gazed into hers. The whisper-soft brush of his long hair against her skin as he’d made love to her. The gentle touch of his hands as he’d helped her forage around in the forest. The concern in his voice as he’d assured himself that she was alright.

No other man had ever claimed her heart or body the way he had. Something about him had struck her deeply, and nothing on earth had went anywhere towards healing the open wound that was left behind as they’d lost touch.

“Are you alright? A little warmer?”

His question broke her train of thought, and she nodded. “Yes. Thankyou.”

He remained silent for a few minutes as he navigated the streets. “I need to make a quick pit-stop at the drugstore,” he said eventually. “Do you need anything?”

She shook her head as he pulled to a stop, and their gazes met in the mirror.

“I won’t be long,” he told her.

He stepped out of the car and long, purposeful strides carried him into the brightly-lit store. She watched him through the windows as he moved around picking items from the shelves. A young man with a name badge spoke to him, and he responded with a brief smile. He held a box in one hand, obviously questioning the sales assistant. A short conversation followed with a few nods and some general hand gestures, after which Thranduil picked up another two of the boxes. He disappeared from view as he went to the register.

Her head leaned back against the head rest and her eyes closed.

She was exhausted.

Eden gurgled happily in her arms, making her look down at her. Bright eyes looked back with a smile.

The car door opened, and both of them looked at the six feet five blonde as he folded himself back into the driver’s seat. A large grocery bag was placed onto the empty seat next to him, and he started the engine again.

“Not too much further,” he said over his shoulder as he manoeuvred the vehicle back into the steady flow of traffic. “I think you will find it comfortable.”

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“My place,” he replied. “You will have everything that you need there. Warmth. Food. A hot bath. A good night’s sleep. Peace and quiet with no interruptions or rioting neighbours.”

Nobody spoke again until he pulled up outside a massive farmhouse. Kira blinked in surprise; she hadn’t even realised they’d left the city behind. The grounds were shrouded in darkness, but lights were on in the property, and from what she could make out, it seemed huge.

Thranduil got out and circled the car to open her door. His hand under her elbow helped her to climb out, still with Eden held protectively against her body. Her head tipped back a little as she gazed up at the house.

“It’s cold out here. Come on inside,” he said as he lifted the grocery bag from the front passenger seat.

She followed him as he led the way along a small cobbled pathway to the main door. He opened it and stepped into a brightly-lit hallway, closing the door behind her as she entered the house.

She stopped, gazing around.

“Come through here,” he said as he ushered her towards the kitchen.

The room took her breath away. Longer than her entire apartment, the floor consisted of polished wood. Wall units lined one entire wall, each one with a wooden door covered with intricate carvings. A large pine table rested in the middle of the room along with eight padded seats. The original beams were visible in the high ceilings. Every appliance known to man was housed in the kitchen. A large window was covered with thick, heavy curtains that swept the floor. Dark green in colour, they had gold leaves winding across them.

Her gaze turned to Thranduil as he filled the kettle and turned the cooker on. He worked in silence after pulling out a chair for her, preparing garlic bread and a large bowl of pasta. Cherry tomatoes and basil were mixed through the sauce, and she marvelled at how rapidly he’d put a meal together.

“Eat,” he commanded, pushing the bowl towards her and handing her a fork. “Coffee will be with you just shortly.”

She hesitated, then slowly began to take small bites. One arm remained snugly around Eden, which he noticed but made no comment on. Like a wounded animal, she clearly needed time and patience. Two mugs of coffee were placed onto the table, and he sat himself across from her.

“It is not much, but given the time of night and the fact that it has been a long day for both of us, I hope this is sufficient,” he said, breaking off a piece of garlic bread and handing it to her.

She took it after a slight pause. “It’s more than sufficient,” she said quietly. “You didn’t have to go to this trouble.”

“It’s no trouble,” he assured her as he chewed. “I’ll make you something a little heartier in the morning once you’re well rested.”

“I can’t be a burden,” she said.

He frowned. “Why would you think that you are? Kira – the conditions that you were both living in were below squalor standards. You cannot live like that, and Eden certainly can’t. You both need a good night’s rest and we will fix everything in the morning.”

Her eyes misted over, something else he didn’t miss. “It’s not that easy,” she said.

“Do not think about it tonight,” he advised. He broke off some more garlic bread and handed it over to her. “Forget everything tonight. Just sleep, knowing that you are both safe and warm. Tomorrow and whatever it brings will arrive in due course.”

A silence settled over them as they ate. Thranduil noticed that she picked at her food, taking her time with it, almost as though she was trying to make it last.

“Are you still hungry? There is some chocolate cake in the fridge,” he said.

“No, thankyou. I’m fine,” she said as she pushed her empty plate away a little.

His eyes shifted to the plate. It was almost spotless. “Shall I prepare a bath for you both?” Deep down inside, he knew that there was no way she’d relinquish her hold on the baby while she bathed. Something was brewing under the surface; he just had to wait patiently until either she told him, or he figured it out for himself.

“It’s-“

He held a hand up to stop her before she even started. “It _isn’t_ any trouble,” he assured her, and rose from his chair. “I will run the water just now, and make up a bed for you both. Relax and have your coffee.”

Her eyes followed him as he lifted his own mug and left the room. His footsteps travelled back to her as he ascended the thickly carpeted stairs. Deciding that although she wasn’t a hundred percent comfortable with the situation, it was warmer and more comfortable than her empty apartment.

Ten minutes later he reappeared.

“The bath is ready,” he told her.

She stood up and followed him as he led her upstairs. The upper level was beautiful, decorated in soft creams and greens with potted plants placed strategically along the hallway.

He stopped and held a door open, ushering her inside. “Take all the time you need,” he told her. “There are clean towels on the rail over there, clean washcloths, and plenty of soap and shampoo. I picked up an oversized t-shirt for you while I was in the drugstore, and some hygiene bits and pieces.”

She breathed deeply as she gazed at the large bathroom.

“The water should be at a comfortable temperature if you want to take Eden in with you,” he said, quietly. “There is a new sleepsuit and a pack of diapers in the bag along with your things. Anything else that you require, just let me know.” With that, he stepped back and closed the door, leaving her in the middle of the floor with the little one.

Her head turned as she took in everything around her, finally settling on the bath from which the familiar scent of baby bath oil wafted. She smiled. He’d thought of everything when he’d gone into the drugstore.

She set Eden down on the floor on her back and quickly stripped her sleepsuit and diaper from her. Peeling off her own clothing, she lifted her and climbed into the water with her, letting out a deep sigh of pleasure as the warm fluid flowed around them. The child babbled excitedly and kicked her feet, sending waves and splashes of water across the tub.

Out in the hall, Thranduil smiled to himself as he pushed his weight away from the door frame and walked down the hallway towards his room. 


	9. Confessions

** CHAPTER NINE – CONFESSIONS  **

Kira rolled over and snuggled deeper into the soft feather quilt, wrapping it tighter around her shoulders. A sleepy smile lifted her lips in a gentle curve as she sighed in contentment.

And her eyes flew open.

She shot upright in bed with a gasp of panic.

“Relax,” a deep male voice said quietly.

Her head flipped towards the sound at speed, and her heart thumped an irregular rhythm. Thranduil was sitting in a large armchair a few feet away from the bed. Eden lay nestled against his chest, sucking contentedly on a bottle, and almost asleep. A lamp set back in the corner cast a cosy glow over them.

“She was beginning to fret and you were sound asleep,” he continued in the same soft, calming voice. “I did not want to wake you – you needed your rest. She is perfectly safe.”

Kira swallowed as she mentally willed herself to stay calm. She didn’t know what to say.

“I bought a couple of boxes of the baby formula when I went into the drugstore, some more bottles, and some sterilising tablets,” he said. His eyes moved from his child to her, then back again. “And don’t panic – I _have_ done this before.”

She forced some sort of smile in response. “Thankyou,” she said. She sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. “You didn’t have to. You could have woken me. I don’t normally sleep through her waking up for a feed.”

“Kira…you are worn out. I can see it in the way you carry yourself. I can see it in your eyes,” he said, looking back over at her. “Accept a little help once in a while; it’s not a bad thing. And it isn’t like I’m going anywhere with her. I took her down to the kitchen while I prepared her bottle, then brought her back up to feed her. Relax.”

She lowered her gaze guiltily to the quilt. “I’ve not had any help with her since she was born,” she admitted.

“Have you had the offer?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“I’m sorry,” he said after a short silence. “I know that it wouldn’t have been easy for you. I wish that I’d found you and I would have been there for you; _both_ of you.”

“I tried to find you…to tell you,” she whispered. “I felt that you had a right to know…but I had no idea what your last name was, and had no clue where to start. I did ask the airline, but they refused point blank to give me any information, no matter how much I begged and pleaded.”

His heart twisted. Eden had finished her bottle so he set it to one side and carefully changed her position so that her head rested on his shoulder. His hand looked huge as he gently patted her little back. “I was met with the same resistance,” he told her. “I tried everyone, from insurance companies, hospitals, everyone. I hired a private investigator, but even he couldn’t come up with anything.”

Sad eyes met his. “Why were you so desperate to find me?” she asked, her voice breaking slightly.

He inhaled deeply through his nose and clenched his jaw as he held her gaze. “Because I was desperate to find out what had happened to you. I wanted to keep in touch. Hell…I wanted to be with you. I didn’t want to walk away from what we’d built between us. It was precious to me.”

She sniffed hard as her head lowered. “It was to me too,” she whispered. “I don’t know what I thought you might say if I found you, or if you would even want to talk to me-“

He shifted in the chair, uncrossing his legs and leaning forward a little. “Why on earth would you think that?” he interrupted.

She shrugged. “Just…just everything.”

Eden burped loudly over Thranduil’s shoulder, and he changed the pats to gentle rubs. She tucked her head into the curve of his neck and sighed softly to herself. One little fist clutched the front of his shirt.

“I am at a loss as to how you ended up in this part of the city,” he said.

She pulled her mouth in as she picked at something invisible on the quilt. “Everything changed after the crash,” she said. Her voice was so quiet, even his sharp hearing struggled to hear her. “Everything.”

“Can you tell me?” he asked. “Do you feel comfortable talking about it?”

“Not really,” she said with a nervous laugh. A tear rolled down her cheek. “It was like a domino effect. I lost everything.”

He settled back, still holding his child, and waited for her to elaborate in her own time. A mug of coffee sat next to him, still fairly hot and still almost full. He freed one hand and passed it to her.

“The day I was released from the hospital, I called a cab and managed to get myself and my broken leg home,” she said. Her gaze was fixed on something in the shadows of the room. “I remember knocking on the door of the house…my keys had been in my luggage that hadn’t been recovered. Anyway, some woman I’d never seen before opened the door.”

He waited quietly.

“My room-mate had assumed I’d been killed in the crash. She’d thrown all my things away and rented my room to this woman,” she said. “I had nowhere to go, no-one to turn to. Eventually I called my boss, Bradley. He arranged for emergency accommodation until I managed to find somewhere.” She took a drink and wrapped both hands around the ceramic. “I hadn’t been to work for about four weeks after I was airlifted,” she said after a silence that seemed to last forever. “I hobbled in with my leg in a plaster cast, and tried to do my job as well as I could. But then I started to show; my baby bump was quite prominent by the time I was three months. Bradley had a fit, and made up some crap about how I wasn’t fit for work since the crash. I was laid off within a couple of weeks after that.”

Thranduil fumed silently. “He had no legal right to fire you,” he said angrily.

“He didn’t fire me. He put it down to budget cuts, said I had to go,” she told him. “I lost my income, my accommodation, everything.” Another tear escaped, and she angrily swiped it away.

“Kira, I am so sorry,” he whispered. “I truly am. I am _so fucking sorry_.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” she said. “Shit happens.”

“Did you not receive compensation from the airline?” he asked curiously. “You _should_ have.”

She nodded as she sniffed. “I went to a refuge for struggling expectant mothers, and the insurance company traced me there. I was awarded thirty thousand dollars.”

He blinked. “ _How_ much?!?” The question came out as an angry demand, and she shrunk back slightly.

“Thirty thousand,” she whispered, almost fearfully. “I’m sorry…did they give me more than you?”

His head snapped back to face her at her question. “No. They did not. They fucking ripped you off, Kira, that’s what they did,” he hissed. “Thirty thousand fucking dollars?? That’s it?? How…Jesus _fucking_ Christ…” He trailed off, fury pouring through him. “That will not last you long, not with a child to take care of.”

He made as if to stand, but she held her hand up. “She’s asleep. Just hold her…if you want to.”

The anguish in his eyes was almost tangible in the dim light, and she saw his Adam’s Apple move as he swallowed, leaning back again.

“For what it’s worth, the whole lot of it’s gone,” she said. Her gaze fell to her daughter. “Medical care during pregnancy and delivery doesn’t come cheap.”

He leaned his head right back and stared up at the ceiling. “You had to spend everything for Eden’s birth?”

“Yes. But I wouldn’t change it. She’s worth everything in the world to me.” Her voice cracked, and he lowered his head to look at her as her tears began free-flowing. “That’s how I ended up applying for that job cleaning in the hotel. I needed work. I didn’t know you worked there though.”

_Crunch time,_ he thought. “I do not work there,” he said aloud.

“But…but I thought you were going to do the interview,” she said in confusion. “How..?”

“I do not work at the hotel, Kira,” he said softly. “I own it.”

Her jaw dropped. “What?!”

He nodded. “I own the chain of hotels. My last name is Oropherion.”

She went so pale, he thought she was going to drop.

“Kira? Are you alright?” he asked urgently. He shifted from the chair and sat on the edge of the bed, placing one hand on her upper arm with the other still cradling Eden. “Talk to me.”

She shook her head. “I didn’t know,” she said. “ _Oropherion Realms_. I didn’t know.”

“How could you? It never came up in conversation,” he said soothingly.

Her eyes darted around the dimly lit room, trying to focus on something. Anything. “I…I have to go back to my apartment,” she said. Rising panic made her words come out in a rush. “I can’t stay here. I have to go back to my apartment.”

“Why?”

She shook her head and wiped her tears away. “I can’t stay here.”

“Kira… _talk to me._ Why can’t you stay here? What’s wrong with here? I would not put a dog in that apartment; it’s in a diabolical condition, and in no fit state for you to live there, let alone with a young baby,” he said.

“No, I have to go,” she insisted, and threw the quilt back.

“Wait a minute,” he said, holding her upper arm firmly to prevent her from leaving the bed. “What the hell is going on? Don’t shut me out, Kira…tell me what’s wrong.”

She let out a short, bitter laugh. “You’re fucking _loaded_ ,” she said. “I’m not having anyone accuse me of being after your money.”

He leaned closer to her, so close, she could see angry fire in his eyes. “ _Fuck_ anyone,” he hissed angrily. “I do not care what anyone thinks or says. My concern lies solely with you and our daughter. Our daughter who needs _you_ to get this shit out of your head and do what’s best for her. That hell-hole that you call home _isn’t_ a home. It’s a hovel, and nothing more. Taking Eden back there would be nothing short of irresponsible. Think about it.”

Terrified eyes held his. “You don’t understand,” she whispered.

“Make me understand,” he demanded.

“It’ll only make things worse,” she said. “I just…” She wrenched her arm away from him and leapt out of bed, turning in circles looking for her clothes.

“They are in the drier,” he informed her calmly. “I washed them, and Eden’s.”

“Shit! Where are my other clothes?”

“You mean the two pairs of trousers that you have, a blouse, and two t-shirts? In the closet.” He nodded his head towards an intricately carved wooden door that concealed a walk-in storage space. “Think about what you are going to do.”

Her head turned at his tone, the underlying warning coming across loud and clear. “What d’you mean?” she whispered fearfully. “What are you going to do?”

He blinked, taken aback at her question. “Me? I am not going to do anything. What is going on here, Kira?” Frustration poured through his words. “What the hell are you not telling me?” He had risen from the bed and slowly walked towards her.

Her gaze moved to her child who was snuggled against him in a deep sleep, then back to his ice blue eyes.

He closed his eyes as he sighed. “I am _not_ going to take her away from you, or separate you from each other,” he said. “I do not know where this ridiculous notion has come from.”

“You said it yourself, Thranduil,” she said softly. “You said a year ago that nothing would ever come between you and your child.”

His jaw clenched as he recalled saying those exact words to her. “This is not the same. Legolas’s mother abandoned him. She took off at the first opportunity. She didn’t care a hoot. You are different. It’s blatantly obvious how much you love Eden. What I’m asking you now – _begging_ you – is to think of her and her needs. Sleeping on a quilt on the floor of a cold, empty apartment is _not_ what’s best for her, and you know it. It won’t do you any favours either.”

Tears filled her eyes again as she stared him out, caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.

“If you go back there, you’re not only putting yourself at risk, but our daughter too,” he said in a low voice. “You have a responsibility as her mother to do the right thing by her.”

“I’m sick of hearing shit like that!” she screamed suddenly, making him start in fright. “Everybody seems to know better than I do what’s right, what’s best for me! I can’t listen to this anymore!”

He shifted the little one as she stirred in his arms and began to cry at the sudden outburst. Speaking softly to her in hushed whispers, he slowly paced up and down the floor with her. She wrapped tiny fingers around his much larger ones and yanked his hand towards her, and began chewing on his knuckle.

Heartbroken eyes met Kira’s. “She needs warmth, comfort, security, safety, and a clean home,” he said. “Nobody will split you, nobody will take her from you. That is _not_ my intention, I swear with everything that I’ve ever believed in. I swear on my son’s life – I would never do anything to cause either of you pain or distress, and that is exactly what would happen. Nothing good could come from it, for either of you. You need each other.”

She watched him, giving him the impression of a caged animal ready to pounce. He stood before her, his long hair sweeping down over his shoulders. Strong arms cradled their child. His shoulder offered a solid but comfortable resting point for the little one, and his fingers provided a source of comfort as she gnawed contentedly on them.

Her heart was torn.

“I don’t want anything from you,” she whispered after an eon of silence had passed. “I’d never ask anything of you.”

The deepest sorrow he’d ever felt cut through his heart. “You would never have to ask,” he whispered back. “Kira…you don’t understand, do you?”

“Understand what?”

“I would never stop you from leaving and taking Eden with you, but I would get down on my knees to beg you to reconsider,” he told her. “However, even if things had not turned out the way they have, if we hadn’t created a child together…Kira, I fell in love with you a year ago. I haven’t stopped thinking about you, wondering where you were, if you were alright, what you were doing. My heart has been crushed not being able to find you, and that’s before I even found out that we have a daughter.” He looked down to the baby in his arms. Her baby ice blue eyes looked back up at him, and his heart broke a little more. Bending his head, he placed a tender kiss on the top of her head as a tear rolled down his cheek.

Kira sank back down onto the edge of the bed and held her head on her hands. “I’ve been so alone,” she sobbed. “So alone…I’m tired…”

He moved and sat down beside her at an angle. “You do not have to be anymore,” he whispered. One hand moved her hands away and tipped her chin up so she would look at him. “Let me in, Kira. Please. Please let me in.” His thumb gently stroked her cheek as he stared into her eyes.

“I don’t want you to think-“ she began.

“I do not think anything, other than you both are in desperate need of some compassion, some help, and some comfort,” he interrupted. “Which I can provide. I am _willing_ to provide. I _want_ to provide.”

Hot tears streamed steadily down her cheeks. “I was never the same after you,” she whispered. “I don’t know what you did to me, but I couldn’t forget you. I tried – God, I tried _so_ fucking hard…but I couldn’t.”

“And I never forgot you,” he said softly. “I did everything conceivable in an attempt to find you, but I failed. I can only thank whatever deity took control and sent you into the hotel for that interview, otherwise I may never have set eyes on you again. Or met this adorable child.” He glanced down at Eden, who stared back with big eyes as she continued chewing on his fingers. “And I am eternally grateful that she does not have teeth yet,” he added with a light chuckle.

Kira found herself smiling through her tears, and lifted a hand to lightly caress her daughter’s back. “She’s chewing everything she can get her little hands on,” she said.

“Her teeth probably won’t be long in that case,” he replied. He looked back at her. “Please stay here. Or if you are uncomfortable here, then let me arrange somewhere for you both. I do not want you to feel pressurised in any way, sweetheart, even though I am going all out to stop you from going back to that shit-hole.”

An unheard clock ticked endlessly, and he watched her, reading the conflicting emotions in her eyes and the battle she was fighting internally.

“Ok. I won’t go back there,” she said finally. Her voice was low; her soul broken.

“Hey.” He gently tilted her chin back up again. “You have not failed. You have not lost a great battle. You are not a lesser person. And I know that’s what is going through your mind right now; you are so easy to read.” A smile curved his full lips.

A blush coloured her cheeks. “I’m usually self-sufficient,” she whispered.

He nodded. “I know. I remember. But there is no shame in taking the hand that is offered. And I promise – I will never hurt you or cause you pain. That is my oath.”

She nodded too. “I know. Somehow, I know,” she replied on a sigh. Tired eyes held his.

“I think you should get some more sleep,” he suggested.

She surprised him by sliding under the quilt and pulling it over herself. Her eyes widened as he pulled it back, but he merely smiled as he kissed Eden and placed her beside her. A pillow was positioned to keep her safe, and the quilt replaced.

“Sleep well, Kira,” he said quietly.

He left the room and pulled the door over, leaving it open just a little in case Eden became restless during the remainder of the night.


	10. A Spanner In The Works

** CHAPTER TEN – A SPANNER IN THE WORKS **

Dark blue eyes watched in silence.

Thranduil moved effortlessly around the kitchen, seeming to glide with a grace that should have been impossible given the fact that he was so tall. His long hair swished around his waist as he moved. His feet stepped this way and that as he gathered what he needed. Unaware of the perusal behind him, he concentrated on his task.

The lid was unscrewed from the heated baby bottle and the teat removed and reversed. His inner wrist served as a temperature checker for the milk.

“That should be warm enough,” he announced as he pivoted and handed Kira the bottle.

“You’ve definitely done this before,” she laughed as she accepted it. “You’re a pro.”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “You never forget. Although many a year has passed since Legolas was at this stage, it’s second nature.”

She tipped the teat into Eden’s open mouth and settled back against the chair, crossing one leg over the other. “Are you working today?” she asked.

“No.” A mug of coffee slid across the table towards her, and he sat adjacent to her with his own. “I’m taking some time off. My managers can run the hotels without me having to be there.”

“We’re disrupting your routine,” she murmered.

“No, you are not. I need some time away, to be honest.” He sighed as he twisted the cup around with one hand, his gaze on the object. “I spend far too much time there, I invest far too much of my life to it. Perhaps fate had everything planned for me to step back and evaluate what is important. And right now, the hotels aren’t.”

“Won’t they run riot if you’re not there to keep control of the helm?”

He shook his head as he took a drink. “They wouldn’t dare. My staff know exactly what is expected of them, and what would happen if they fall short. I will not accept sub-standard work from them.”

“Hmm…I kind of got the feeling a year ago that you’re the kind of person who’s used to getting what he wants,” she said, glancing from Eden to him. “I can’t really describe it; sort of like a born leader maybe, someone who knows exactly what they want and will stop at nothing to get it.”

“Oropherion Realm is a brand that is synonymous with quality and professionalism,” he replied. “The guests who we accommodate pay a lot of money, and I strive to ensure that they get what they’ve paid for.”

“That makes sense,” she acknowledged. “A business can’t operate to full potential unless someone at the helm has a drive for success and perfection.”

His eyebrows lifted slightly in agreement as he took a mouthful of his own coffee. “My team are trained to the highest standards. Yes, they make mistakes, they err from time to time – they are human. People do, it’s a fact of life. But they know that at the end of it all, the paying guest is the priority of the company, and so it always will be.” His eyes studied her as she fed Eden, whose eyes had drifted closed. “Why on earth did you apply for a housekeeping job?” he asked softly.

She glanced over at him. “Because I need an income,” she replied. “There aren’t any PA vacancies for three hundred miles, and I can’t uproot Eden again in such a short space of time. She’s been through enough without being bounced from pillar to post. Besides, there’s no way in hell Brad would give me a decent reference after I left.”

“You did not leave; you were pushed out,” he corrected her.

“Either way. I still need to find employment and turn my apartment into a liveable space for us both.”

“Kira…” He trailed off and shook his head as he looked away.

“What?”

His chest expanded as he took a deep breath. “I do not want either of you living there,” he said as he looked back at her. “The building is a dive. It’s dirty, it’s unmaintained, it’s a death trap. It’s an accident waiting to happen. The neighbours are thugs, there is no pride in the place at all. Do you think I want you living in such conditions? Do you think I want to see my daughter grow up in a place like that? How will she get out to play? It’s like running a gauntlet between drunks and discarded needles going up and down those stairs, Kira.”

Her eyes lowered, almost in shame. “I have no other choice.”

“Yes you do. You have three choices,” he told her, leaning forward and resting his elbows onto the table. “Go back, against my advice and my concern for the wellbeing of both you and my child. Allow me to find you somewhere suitable to live and raise a baby. Or stay here with me.”

Her eyes darted back to his at speed.

“I am serious,” he whispered.

Her mouth opened and then closed again. “That’s…that’s a very generous offer, Thranduil,” she said. Her voice was little more than a murmer. “But I can’t…I can’t accept it. It wouldn’t be right. I have to accept responsibility, and make my own way in the world.”

He nodded. “I understand that. But Eden is my daughter, and I want the best for her. I want the best for her mother too. Is that so wrong?” Anguished eyes held hers.

“No, I suppose not,” she admitted. “But I can’t exist on your expense. I need to be independent.”

“That’s fine. So why don’t you settle wherever you choose, then think about employment? There is no immediate rush, is there? Surely she is too young for you to be considering work?” he pointed out.

“Maybe,” she murmered. “But-“

“How about waiting until she’s six months, at least? See how you feel then?” he suggested. “If you feel then that you really need to work, then so be it. If you decide that you want to be a stay-at-home parent for a while longer, then that’s fine too.”

She studied him, poking her tongue against her inner cheek thoughtfully.

“I can hear the cogs grinding in your mind,” he said with a smirk as he lifted his coffee once more. “They’re helluva noisy.”

A smile curved her mouth and she blushed a little. “The reason I applied to the hotel was because the ad mentioned a childcare package,” she told him.

He nodded. “Yes. We provide an in-house crèche for the children of the parents we employ,” he replied. “Both for pre-school children, and for those older, for after school hours. Employees who are not stressed worrying about their kids are happy employees. And the little ones are safe and well looked after.”

“It’s a great idea. I don’t know if I could cope with handing Eden over to a childcare place then having to leave her to go and work elsewhere.”

“A lot of parents can’t cope with separation, especially while the child in question is as young as she is,” he said. “And it’s not just mothers; fathers go through it too, sometimes.”

“I dare say they do,” she murmered. “Thranduil…I…” Her words faded.

“What?” he probed gently.

“I’m sorry that you didn’t know about her,” she whispered. “I’m sorry that you missed the first three months of her life. I’m sorry for a lot of things.”

“There is nothing for you to be sorry over. Things happened, things outwith our control. We were destined to meet again, and so it has happened,” he said. “Are you sorry for what we did together?”

“No,” she replied in a broken whisper. “Never.”

Ice blue eyes held hers as the seconds ticked past. Thranduil lifted himself to his feet and leaned over the table. His mouth brushed over hers in a kiss that was so soft and tender. “Me neither. My only regret is that I lost you for a whole year. But I fully intend to make up for it. If you will allow.”

She smiled and closed her eyes, leaning her forehead against his. “We have a lot to catch up on, and a lot to learn about one another,” she said quietly.

“Yes. And I intend to savour every moment of it. Every new thing I learn about you. Every inch our child grows, every word she learns,” he whispered back. He sat back a little, regarding her with serious eyes. “My heart broke when we were separated.”

Kira took a deep, shuddery breath. “Mine did too,” she admitted, and used the back of one hand to rub tears away that teetered on her eyelashes. “I told myself that it had just been adrenalin from the crash or some shit like that. But deep down I didn’t believe it.” She placed the empty bottle on the table and lifted Eden over her shoulder, patting her back. “I just never knew how much life was going to change the day I set foot in the airport.”

“No-one did, I guess,” he said. “Too many lives were lost that day, too many questions left unanswered. But we were lucky – we survived, and now we have our own questions to ask and answer. We have more than anyone, and we can’t forget that.”

“I don’t think I ever will,” she said, just as Eden burped loudly, making them both laugh. “You noisy little imp,” she said affectionately.

Thranduil looked from her to his daughter and back again. “May I hold her?”

Her heart twisted painfully at the look in his eyes. “You never need to ask,” she breathed. “Never.”

He held his arms out and she placed the little one in his hold. Leaning back, he cradled her with so much care and love, she had to bite her lip to hold back her emotions. Before her sat a tall, strong fighter who’d brought her through the worst experience of her life. He’d looked after her and taken care of her. To see him holding such a tiny, dependant infant and gazing down at her with such adoration would melt the stoniest heart.

He moved one hand and held a finger up. Eden immediately grabbed it and wrapped her little fingers tightly around it. Her mouth made a silent “O”, and he grinned. “So cute,” he commented. “So pretty, and so cute.”

His head lifted abruptly at the sound of a door slamming, and Kira’s spun round towards the noise.

“Hey dad, only me,” a voice called out. “I just came by to give you back the mon-“

Everything went silent as a younger version of Thranduil appeared in the doorway and stopped dead. His words stopped just as quickly.

Kira glanced towards the older male, and knew the newcomer was his son, Legolas. The likeness was uncanny and unmistakable.

His eyes shifted from his father to the child in his arms, and then to her. Back to the child, and finally his father.

Thranduil opened his mouth to speak, but didn’t get the chance.

“When were you going to part with _this_ piece of information?” the younger blonde demanded.

“Legolas-“ he began.

“Just don’t,” he snapped, slowly advancing towards them. His sharp gaze took in every detail. “You kept this hidden well, I have to say. I know you’re secretive by nature, Dad, but holy shit this certainly wins top prize.”

“Legolas, allow me to speak,” Thranduil said sharply. “I did not tell you because I did not know until very recently. I have kept nothing from you.”

Oropherion glared at Oropherion.

“Very convenient,” Legolas bit back. “A ready-made child who appears out of the blue with no warning. No doubt a hefty paternity suit as well, or some sort of pay-off.”

Kira’s cheeks flamed. “It’s not like that,” she said.

“I wasn’t talking to you,” he snarled. “Fuck sake, Dad – haven’t you learned enough from the past? What’s the matter with you?”

Thranduil rose to his feet, fury flowing through him. “How _dare_ you,” he hissed.

“I _will_ dare! I _will_ question the motives pushing any gold-digger!” he shouted. “How on earth could you have gotten yourself into this situation? Aren’t you the one who’s always telling me to be careful? Always lecturing me about condoms and safe sex and all that shit? Pot meet kettle!”

“Do not speak to me like that!” his father thundered as he handed Eden to Kira. “You owe an apology; both to myself and to Kira.”

“I owe _nothing_ ,” Legolas spat in anger. “I thought you would have known better after all you’ve been through all these years, but no. You have to go and have careless sex and produce a child as a result! Don’t ever lecture me when you cannot take your own advice!”

“Your anger has no place here,” he stormed, struggling to keep his temper contained. “And neither do your accusations or misled beliefs.”

“You make me sick. And so do _you_ ,” he said accusingly to Kira. His eyes moved to Eden, who had been staring at her brother since his sudden entrance. Her bottom lip quivered and she started to cry.

“I am in _no_ mood to explain myself or my actions to you right now,” Thranduil growled. “We will talk later, once you have calmed down enough to have a sensible, adult conversation. Until then, _get out._ ”

“With pleasure!” his son snapped and spun on his heel. “I cannot believe that I have a sibling and you didn’t tell me!” He tossed a wad of banknotes onto the worktop as he passed and stormed out of the kitchen. The sound of the door slamming again reached them.

Thranduil took a deep breath as he looked at Kira.

She sat very still, silent tears streaming down her cheeks as she rubbed her crying baby’s back to soothe her. “This is why I didn’t want to stay here,” she said brokenly. “I don’t want people talking, assuming, jumping to conclusions.”

“And I told you that I do not care what anyone says or thinks,” he reiterated. Moving to stand behind her, he leaned down and wrapped his arms around both of them. His long hair swept over the two females. “I will fix this. My son is driven by his emotions rather than his common sense. He does not think before he speaks, and he makes assessments before he has any information. It has always been his weak point; one I have strived to strengthen for him for years.”

“It must look bad to him,” she said. “I know it would to me if I’d walked in on this.”

He moved again and pulled out a seat beside her. Folding his tall frame onto it, he gently turned her chin so she looked at him. “I will fix this, I promise,” he told her. “He needs time and space to cool off and calm down. Please do not upset yourself.”

Teary eyes stared into his, and he could tell she was struggling against her fight-or-flee instinct. “I don’t want to come in between you and Legolas,” she said.

“You will not. You are your own person, Kira, as is Eden. Legolas just needs to take time out for a while and when he will listen to reason, I will talk to him,” he responded. “He has to realise that I have two children now, not just one. It is not only about him anymore. I have a family that extends beyond what he and I both thought for a long, long time. A family that I will fight to keep together, no matter what.”

He leaned his head against hers for a few seconds, then turned slightly to kiss her.

“Do not worry, my darling. Please…do not worry. I will handle this, I promise.” His husky whisper sent ripples down her spine, and he felt them. He smiled.

It would seem that the spark between them was still very much there.

“I’ll make you something to eat, and we can both relax for a while,” he offered. “I’m not going to go near my son until later – he has to think about what he said, how he acted.”

“Maybe I should make you something to eat,” she counteroffered. Her gaze lowered to his mouth, which was still tantalisingly close to hers. Hers, which tingled from the brief kiss he’d given her.

One eyebrow quirked in amusement. “You _hate_ cooking,” he laughed. “You told me. I remember it as though it was yesterday. You said that you couldn’t stand it. In fact, you were more than adamant that you detested it.”

A smile graced her lips. “I think that I should be doing something-“

“Stop, stop, stop,” he interrupted, holding a hand up. “You do not need to be doing anything, do you understand? Kira, I…my God, how do I say this?” He leaned back and dragged his hands through his hair. “I _want_ you and Eden to be here. I _want_ to be a part of your lives. I do not expect, or want any sort of gratitude for you being here. Just having you in my life again is more than I could ever have asked for, or hoped for.” His ice blue eyes searched hers, desperate for some sort of confirmation that she understood how important she was to him. And now their child too. “Perhaps I should not say it in such a short time, but I have to – I love you. I don’t know how or why, or what you did to me, but I do. I love you.” His voice trailed off to a whisper.

Again, her eyes burned with unshed tears. “I love you too,” she whispered shakily. “I have since the day we first met, and try as I did, I couldn’t get over you.” A tear tipped over her eyelashes and slid down her cheek. “I tried _so_ hard, Thranduil, I really did. But I couldn’t forget. I couldn’t move on.”

He closed the gap between them and tenderly kissed the moisture away. “Then maybe we should be thinking of a way to move forwards, together,” he murmered.

Eden twisted her head around and her blue eyes gazed up at her father. A gummy smile accompanied the look, making him smile in return.

“She has my dimple,” he said.

Kira laughed and wiped her eyes. “She does,” she agreed. “I noticed it the day she was born.”

A few moments passed. “Time to eat, then we can relax and talk for a while,” he said finally. “Why don’t you go and freshen up the little one and change her while I make something?”

“Ok,” she said, and he moved to give her room to stand. She walked towards the guest room, his eyes following her.


	11. Home Truths

** CHAPTER ELEVEN – HOME TRUTHS  **

Thranduil laughed as he blew a raspberry on his daughter’s tummy. Eden squealed; a high-pitched squeal with the ability to shatter the glass windows, and yanked on his hair with both tiny fists.

Kira shook her head as she sat cross-legged on the couch nursing a fresh mug of coffee. “She’ll never go down for her afternoon nap if you keep that up,” she said with a smile.

A mischievous grin was his response. “Of course she will,” he retaliated. “All Oropherion babies are great sleepers. I had to be woken for a feed, and Legolas was the same. She will sleep.”

“Ha!” She took a sip of her beverage. “Famous last words.”

“I never say what I do not mean,” he told her, and sat upright. His weight rested on one hand on the carpet, and he traced a finger down his daughter’s button nose. “You are an absolute delight, little Princess,” he murmered to her. “An absolute beauty.”

“She is,” Kira agreed softly, making him glance up at her. “She was the most adorable baby in the hospital when she was born. Every nurse in there fell in love with her.”

“It is easy to see why,” he commented, returning his gaze to his child. “She’s beautiful.”

She watched him as he gazed at the baby on the rug with so much love on his face. “I wish you could have been there with her from the beginning,” she said softly.

He looked up at her. “There is nothing we can do to change how events happened. But I can be there for both of you now and in the future. I can make up for lost time,” he told her. Perceptive eyes penetrated her soul. “You carry guilt.”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“It is fruitless.” His deep, velvet voice wafted over her, soothing her. “What happened, happened. We have a future to look forward to, things to plan, to enjoy, to remember in the years that will follow. There is no point in berating yourself over that which is outwith your control, my darling.”

She pulled one side of her mouth in as she nodded. “I just wish things hadn’t gone so bad with your son.”

One shoulder lifted in a careless shrug. “I will see to Legolas. He will listen to reason once he has calmed down whatever tornado he is fighting with in his mind. Perhaps this time he will learn from the experience and think before he speaks.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked.

“No. Leave him to me,” he replied, and shifted to a kneeling position before carefully lifting Eden from the floor. “I think this young lady has a gift for us which we may want to open, clean, and remove as quickly as possible.” His nose wrinkled and he shook his head. “More memories from bygone years.”

Kira laughed and pushed herself up from the couch. “I’ll bring clean diapers and wipes through,” she said.

He bounced the little one in his arms as her mother vanished into the bedroom.

*****

The parking lot outside the university campus was half empty as Thranduil pulled in and parked up next to the recreation area. Most of the students lived on-site, with a handful commuting daily for their education. Those who resided there were equipped with well-furnished accommodation, and those with wealthy enough parents brought luxuries from home.

Legolas was one of those.

His games consoles, his large screen television, and several other items had been placed into his living space in the campus. A state-of-the-art music system and a top-of-the-range computer had been installed, at his father’s expense.

His father who was currently questioning his son’s values and morals.

He sighed silently as he stepped out of the car and locked it. Strong, purposeful strides took him into the living quarters and along the maze of hallways to where his son’s room was allocated. Groups of students passed him as he approached, bundled together discussing lectures or upcoming assignments. A group of girls turned to watch him pass, open admiration on their faces. A loud wolf-whistle followed him, but he ignored it.

He pounded heavily on Legolas’s door as he reached it, and waited.

No response.

He fought back his irritation and let himself in. An acrid odour made him scowl as he stepped inside and closed the door.

“Heyyy, Mr O,” a voice rang out. A dishevelled youth presented himself, accompanied by a cloud of smoke.

Thranduil scowled. “I assume your parents don’t know that you are using their hard-earned cash smoking weed all day as opposed to studying, which is what they have paid for you to do?” he remarked sarcastically.

The lad’s eyes widened fractionally, before creasing into a stoned grin. “Take it easy, Mr O…I’m getting my grades,” he chuckled.

“I would wager that’s not all you’re getting,” he muttered. “I want to speak with my son – in private.”

“Heyyy, don’t mind me, man,” the reply came. The youth walked back towards where he’d appeared from, a slight stagger in his gait.

The blonde’s face was like granite as he followed. “Legolas,” he said upon seeing his son. “We need to talk. Alone.” A pointed glare was sent in the direction of the stoned friend. “Now.”

“Mr O’s not feeling very sociable, Leggy,” the youth whispered theatrically and started to laugh.

“Get out,” Thranduil said.

“I wonder what daddy-oh wants to-“

“ _GET OUT!”_

The boy’s laughter halted abruptly as the towering, angry parent grabbed his collar and bodily threw him towards the door. He spluttered and stammered as he collected his dignity as best he could, rapidly exiting the room and slamming the door closed.

Thranduil turned back to Legolas and glared at him. “Do not say a word,” he instructed as his mouth opened. “You are going to listen to what _I_ have to say before you dig yourself even further into a hole. Your behaviour this morning was despicable; an absolute embarrassment. You conducted yourself in an utterly undignified manner in _my_ home, in front of _my_ guest, and yes – you guessed correctly – _my_ daughter. I am ashamed and furious at how you spoke, and believe me when I say that you _will_ make an effort to apologise.”

The younger Oropherion remained silent, staring up at his irate father, who began slowly pacing up and down the room with his hands behind his back.

“I raised you to be better than that,” he continued. “I raised you with manners. I raised you to have respect for others. Yet you went out of your way to embarrass me this morning. Needless to say, I am _not_ happy.”

“ _You_ are the one who had a bastard child and didn’t say anything!” Legolas finally spat. His next words came out as a splutter as his father grabbed his collar and pinned him against the wall.

“Do _not_ infuriate me further,” he hissed in warning, his eyes sparkling with white-hot fury only inches from his son’s face. “You know nothing of the situation, and you are slandering an innocent child who did not ask for the situation that she was born into. I am _disgusted_ with your attitude.” He wrenched his fists free and backed off a couple of steps, still glaring at his offspring. “The reason I did not tell you of her existence is because I did not know.”

Legolas glared back as he straightened his sweater. “You’ve always lectured me on being careful,” he retorted. “Yet here’s solid proof that you do not practice what you preach. Don’t speak to me of morals and standards, Dad. You clearly have none.”

Thranduil contemplated him for a few seconds, choosing his response carefully. “The ice on which you are currently walking cannot hold your weight,” he said coldly. “Be careful.”

Eyes very similar to his own stared at him in anger.

“Kira was the other survivor from the plane crash,” he said on a sigh. He turned away and walked towards the window and presented his back as he looked out over the buildings opposite. “We kept each other alive during an extremely difficult time. We formed a bond. And yes – we slept together. It is not illegal.”

Legolas didn’t say anything.

His father turned back to him. “Neither of us knew how to find the other once we were rescued and separated,” he said. His tone was softer, more melancholic. “I did not know she’d fallen pregnant, and she didn’t know how to find me to tell me. We have both been searching for each other since then.”

His son could see the sadness in the ice blue that eventually turned away again.

“She lost everything because of the crash and what followed. Her home, her job, everything.”

“How did you find each other?” he finally asked.

“She applied for a housekeeping job in the hotels,” he replied. “She was desperate to earn an income.”

“What about the compensation from the crash? What happened to that?”

“Medical expenses. She only received a fraction of what I did, but she does not know this yet. I can only assume that because I have a stronger professional profile and a team of exceptionally good lawyers at my back, they paid me more to keep it quiet. Kira was given a pittance.”

“I thought she’d turned up out of the blue for money,” Legolas admitted. He sighed as he threw his weight into a nearby chair.

“Then you thought wrong. She is not that kind of person,” Thranduil said as he slid him a sideways glance. “When I found her, she was broken. Her spirit has suffered harshly, and I think she was almost at the point where she could not take any more. She and the baby were living in squalor. No food, no furniture, hardly any clothing. Vermin have better lives than what they were existing in.”

“What do you intend to do?”

He shrugged. “I will not abandon neither my daughter nor her mother,” he replied. Turning back to his son, he fixed him with a hard look. “I fell in love with Kira a year ago. I intend to pursue what we had, and try to re-establish it and build on it. I intend to do everything possible for my daughter. My life now revolves around another child, Legolas; not solely yourself. You have a sister to consider.”

His cheeks burned red as he looked at the floor. “I guess I overreacted,” he murmered.

“Yes. You did. And you hurt Kira. That is something I will not tolerate,” he said. “Both are innocent in all this. Neither of them asked for what has happened to them, and it is both unfair and cruel to ostracise them because of it. And for God’s sake open a window and get rid of that disgusting smell.”

Legolas stood and crossed over to open the window. “Stevie came over for a study session,” he said. “I just wish he wouldn’t bring that crap with him.”

“I am surprised you did any studying at all,” Thranduil snorted. “You are probably as high as a kite with the fumes in here.”

A grunt came in way of reply. “If the lecturers smell it, we’re done for,” he admitted. He turned back to the taller blonde. “I owe this woman an apology.”

“Her name is Kira,” he told him. “And yes, you do. You also should make an effort to get to know my daughter.”

He gave a faint smile of acknowledgement. “I knew the second I set eyes on her that she was yours,” he said. “She’s your spitting image.”

“The Oropherion genetics are strong,” Thranduil agreed. “She is almost a carbon copy of you at that age. Same blue eyes, same white-blonde hair, same smile, same everything. It is as though time has rewound itself.”

“It must have been a shock for you to find out about her.”

“Yes.” He lowered himself into the chair that his son had previously occupied. “It was. I had no idea. And she was very reluctant to tell me about her.”

Legolas pondered this information. “Why?” His arms folded across his chest as he leaned on the window ledge.

“She seemed to think that I would take her from her,” his father answered. “She was terrified beyond belief. I do not fully understand the basis of her fear, but it was very real. She was distraught.”

“Would you take her from her?”

He shot a glare up at his son. “Of course I would not! What kind of person do you think I am? I protected you from the truth regarding your mother for years, Legolas. Years. I did it so that you would not have to live with knowing that she wanted neither of us. Kira and the baby are not even in the same league. They adore each other – they need each other.”

“Fair enough,” he murmered. “What’s her name?”

“Eden,” Thranduil replied. “Her name is Eden.”

Legolas nodded. “It’s a lovely name,” he said. A deep sigh followed. “I have to man up and make amends.”

His father eyed him. “Do you wish me to be present?”

“No. I have to do this myself, face it myself,” he answered. “I can’t rely on you paving the way. I have to take responsibility for what I said.”

“Spoken like a true Oropherion,” Thranduil said softly. “You can do this, Legolas. I know you can. And I know that you will do what is right. Kira and Eden have both been through immeasurable stress and despair; it is up to both of us to ease that for them. Both of us, as a family.”

Younger eyes held his. “What if I said too much, and I can’t take back what I said to her?”

“You can never take back what you said. However, you _can_ put forth an olive branch and show her that you regret saying and acting the way you did,” his father replied. “From what I recall, Kira is not the kind of woman who would hold a grudge against you. She is hurting, and she is broken. She needs support, as does Eden.”

Legolas nodded slowly. “I shouldn’t have judged them or you,” he said. “I just lashed out. I thought…” He trailed off, shaking his head as he looked away.

“I know what you thought. I just assumed that you would have the decency to explore the context of the situation before jumping off into the deep end,” Thranduil said as he crossed one leg over the other. “You always did have a habit of opening your mouth and letting your arse rumble.”

A chuckle sounded from his son. “Yeah…I suppose I always have done that. Maybe it’s about time I step up to the line to be counted. Fuck…how could I have been so wrong?”

Thranduil picked up the frustrated anger in his words. “Because you did not wait,” he replied. “Maybe someday you will learn how to. Much can be heard in silence; more than in loud noise. Remember that.”

“You have said that a hundred times over the years.”

“And yet I still have to prove my point,” the older blonde said. “I just wish that you would pay heed to what I say in times like this, my son. I do not part with such musings on a random whim; there is usually a good reason.”

“I know. I really should learn to listen to you. I mean, you _are_ old and all,” Legolas pointed out cheerfully.

“Any more _old_ nonsense, and you will be paying for dinner for this _old_ man instead of the other way around,” his father retorted. “I suggest we all go out for a meal sometime over the next few days. Not right away, but very soon. I want to see my family together and establishing a decent harmony; not fighting and squabbling, not petty jealousy, not-“

“Dad, I wasn’t jealous,” he whined. “Honestly. I wasn’t. I will make the effort, I promise.” Truthful eyes held his parent’s. “And Eden _does_ look really cute.”

“Obviously – she is mine,” Thranduil shot back, and grinned. He rose from the chair and made his way towards the door.

“I’m sorry, Dad, I really am,” Legolas said.

His father stopped at the door and turned to face him. His arms immediately went around his oldest child in a bear hug as the younger male embraced him. “I know.”

“I love you,” he mumbled into his shoulder.

“I love you too, Legolas,” he replied. Dropping a kiss on the top of his head, Thranduil stood back a step. “My love for you will not change now that there is another child to consider. I love you unconditionally, and without restrictions. Always remember that.”

With that, he winked and opened the door, stepping through it and disappearing down the hallway. Legolas slowly closed it and leaned back against it with a sigh, regretful of his behaviour now that his error had been pointed out to him.


	12. Bonds

** CHAPTER TWELVE – BONDS  **

A warm smile curved Thranduil’s mouth as he closed the door behind himself.

“You look pleased with yourself,” Kira noted.

“And I have every reason to be,” he replied. His jacket was shrugged from his broad shoulders and hung up on the peg. “My diplomatic touch has proven to be effective, as always.”

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“I spoke with Legolas,” he explained.

“Ah.”

He followed her into the large but comfortable lounge, where Eden lay on the floor surrounded by a barrier of pillows. “And as I said previously, all has been made peaceful. He understands our situation, and intends to apologise for his behaviour.” One long leg crossed over the other as he sat on the plush couch and leaned back. One arm rested along the back of the cushions as he regarded her.

“I assume there are no ill feelings?” she asked, lowering herself to sit cross-legged on the floor beside Eden, who yawned sleepily as her eyes began to close.

“None whatsoever. Only a well-deserved feeling of guilt,” he answered. “One which I will take no part in trying to alleviate. He brought it on himself, and therefore must deal with it himself.”

She gazed off into the distance. “It must have been a shock for him though,” she acknowledged.

He shrugged carelessly. “He is an adult, and needs to start thinking and acting like one. I cannot control what goes through his head or comes out of his mouth, but I _will_ control how he treats you and our child.”

“Speaking of which, a delivery truck arrived about an hour ago,” she told him.

“Oh?” He smiled enigmatically.

“Mmm-hmm. With a crib…you wouldn’t happen to know anything about that?”

His head tipped back as he laughed, giving her a glorious view of his throat. “I ordered it online through the night while you were both asleep,” he told her. “She needs her own space to sleep, and so do you. You were quite restless last night.”

“I’m always aware that she’s right next to me, and probably part of my brain is alert to the fact that there’s a possibility I could roll over onto her,” she said.

“Then that part of your brain can relax and rest also,” he replied. “I assume it requires assembly?”

Her nose wrinkled. “Yeah. I had a quick look and backed off,” she told him. “I’m not the best with flat-packs. I always end up with sixteen extra screws and a shelf that doesn’t fit anywhere.”

A burst of deep laughter rumbled from him as he stood up again. “They are not everyone’s cup of tea. I remember my first attempt at constructing a piece of furniture. It was a chest of drawers, and it was a disaster.”

“Didn’t you follow the instructions?” she asked with a puzzled frown.

He gave her an _are you out of your mind_ look. “No.”

It was her turn to laugh. “That’s definitely a guy thing,” she chuckled. “I prepared a pizza while you were out, but I didn’t put it in the oven as I didn’t know when you’d be back, or if you’d be hungry right away.”

“Sounds good,” he commented as he shrugged his shoulders to loosen them. “Is it edible..?” He snorted at the look she gave him, and disappeared out of the lounge heading for the stairs.

Kira shook her head as she unfolded her frame and rose to her feet. Eden had drifted off into a blissful sleep and was safe where she was surrounded by the pillows, so she stepped around her and went through to put the pizza in the oven. A quick glance at the chrome clock on the far wall gave her an idea when it would be ready, and she set the plates on the table in the meantime.

“No man reads instructions,” Thranduil said as he reappeared, scrunching the paperwork from the crib into a tight ball.

Her eyes followed it as it was lobbed across the room to land neatly in the trash.

“What?” he laughed.

“Stubborn males,” she muttered.

“And? Instructions are useless. They are merely the most absurd, difficult way to do something thrown onto a sheet of paper in an attempt to look official,” he said. “I do not know of anyone who follows the ridiculous things.”

“Uh…women?” she suggested.

“And that, my darling, is why women have sixteen extra screws and a shelf that does not fit anywhere,” he replied drawly. “Hence the reason why men disregard the waffle that is pointlessly supplied with flat-packs.”

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “No comment. Anyway, I _could_ make an effort to build the crib-“

“Leave it and I will see to it after we have eaten,” he interrupted. “You relax and have a bath, and I will attend to it. Honestly, I don’t mind,” he added with a shrug at her raised eyebrows.

“I can do a lot more than laze around in the bath all the time,” she said, turning away.

He stepped towards her and grasped her upper arm, turning her to face him. “I know,” he said softly. His ice blue eyes searched hers. “I do not mean to insult you, or to give the impression that you are incapable of doing anything. I just wish for you to be pampered and to relax. Nothing more. You have been through hell, and you have taken care of Eden. I want to take care of _you_ now.”

Her heart thumped in an irregular rhythm as she stared up at him. “I feel like you’re going out of your way to have me sit idle,” she said after a few seconds’ thought.

“Not at all. I just feel that you should rest and enjoy some free time,” he replied. “Is that so wrong?”

Her gaze settled on his full mouth and a shard of need tore through her. “Maybe not,” she decided. “Ok...you can build the crib and I can do the dishes, _then_ I might think about having a bath. Deal?”

He grinned as he released her. “You drive a hard bargain.”

She didn’t answer, but smothered a smirk as she turned away.

*****

“She looks so peaceful,” Kira murmered.

Thranduil smiled as he leaned his chin on top of her head and slid his arms around her waist. The warmth from his chest pressed against her back seeped into her. “She does,” he agreed in a low voice. “I dare say she may sleep easier in her own space. And you can relax, knowing that she is at the bedside and you will not roll onto her in your sleep.”

A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “This is her first bed,” she whispered.

His chest expanded against her as he took a deep breath. “There will be a lot of new firsts for her. Firsts which I will not hesitate to provide,” he replied. “For both of you; not just Eden.”

“You don’t have to provide for me. I intend to find a job soon,” she said. Her inner self was in turmoil at his closeness, bringing back memories from when they’d spent precious time in each other’s arms.

“I have told you, there is no rush. Take time to watch her grow, to experience new things with her.” His deep voice caressed her senses like velvet.

Her eyes misted over a little as she gazed down at their precious child, who lay sound asleep in the newly-built crib. The crib that her father had patiently assembled with a smile that had stayed on his face until he’d completed the task. Dark lashes lowered as a soft kiss touched the side of her neck, and she felt him withdraw from behind her.

“It is late,” he said quietly. “You should rest.”

She turned and looked up at him to find his ice blue eyes on hers, and nodded. “You’re right,” she conceded. “And she wakes up early in the mornings.”

“Then sleep, and sleep well,” he whispered. His long hair brushed her arm as he leaned down and softly kissed her mouth; a gentle, tender touch with no pressure or underlying meaning. “I will see you both in the morning.”

Her heart thumped irregularly as she watched him turn and walk away in the direction of his own room further along the hallway. Deciding that she was probably allowing her heart to rule her head and that she was moving too fast with her emotions, she sighed to herself and closed the door.

*****

The following morning brought heavy rain and dark clouds. Thranduil had risen and already left the house on an errand, according to the brief note Kira had found on the kitchen table. She went about preparing a bottle for Eden, laying out some clean clothing for her while she waited.

The little one gurgled happily as her mother came into her line of vision and started kicking her legs. Kira smiled and lifted her into her arms.

“You’re in a cheery mood this morning, my little Princess,” she said. “I wonder what beautiful baby-dreams you had last night?”

Eden babbled in response.

“Alright then, let’s feed you, you hungry little monster,” she said as she crossed back through into the kitchen and sat down at the table with her. The child immediately opened her mouth as the bottle neared her, and began to feed.

The sound of the outside door closing made her mother look up.

Legolas stood in the doorway with an air of hesitance and uncertainty. “Uh…hi,” he said after a long silence.

“Hi,” she returned.

“I…I…uh…” He trailed off and shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. “I came by to apologise for yesterday.”

Blue eyes that were so like his father’s met hers and darted away again.

“Come in, I don’t bite,” she said quietly.

Thranduil had been correct in saying that his son would approach her, but she’d hoped for his presence when it happened. As luck would have it, he was out and she had no idea when he was planning to return.

The blonde took a deep breath and approached the table, pulled out a seat across from her and sat down. “I was out of order – the way I acted, what I said,” he told her. “I jumped to conclusions, and I shouldn’t have.”

“I can understand it was a shock,” she replied. Her eyes lowered to Eden as her little hands gripped the bottle. “I’d have probably felt the same if I’d been in your position.”

“It doesn’t excuse the way I behaved. I want to apologise, I want to clear the air,” he said. He licked his lips nervously. “I just…I couldn’t believe Dad would keep something like this from me.”

“He didn’t,” she told him as she looked back over at him. “He didn’t know about Eden.”

He nodded. “He told me. He told me about how you helped each other after the crash and everything. I understand that you didn’t deliberately keep her a secret from him, or that he hid the truth from me.” His eyes burned as he purposefully looked up at the ceiling. “I thought I’d lost him when I heard about the plane going down,” he whispered. “Dad’s all I’ve got.”

“I know,” she whispered. “And I never want to come between you. That’s not my intention. I had no idea who he was when I applied for a job in the hotel, I swear.”

“I know, he told me,” he replied. “Shit…” His head lowered and his hands went up to support it. “I’ve made such a mess of things.”

“No, you haven’t. You’re protective over your father, you love him, and you want to keep that closeness. There’s nothing wrong with that,” she said.

“He’s been hurt badly in the past – really badly, although he’d probably go off his head if he thought I was telling you,” he said. “Women have chased him and tried to get him to spend his money on them. I hated watching him go through it. Some women just tried to bleed him dry because he’s wealthy.”

“That’s not my intention either. I want to find a job, stand on my own two feet, and take care of Eden, not rely on your father to support us,” she said as she set the bottle onto the table and changed the little one’s position. “I’ve never relied on anyone before, and I don’t particularly like having to do so now. I’m just in a shitty place right now, but I won’t be in it forever.”

“Dad has told me everything; don’t worry about it,” Legolas said. “And he loves you.”

She said nothing as she gently patted Eden’s back.

“I could see it in his eyes as he was talking about you,” he continued. “He’s never had that look about anyone else. And he was so low after he was rescued a year ago. He hasn’t been the same since.”

“I missed him so much too,” she whispered. “I don’t know how I would have kept going if it hadn’t been for Eden…”

The little one chose that moment to let out a resounding burp, to which Legolas chuckled.

“She’s Dad’s double,” he acknowledged. “She needs no introduction; it’s as clear as day who her father is. She even has his dimple in her left cheek, the same as he has.”

“She’s a carbon copy almost,” Kira agreed.

“She’s beautiful.”

His whisper made her glance over at him, and she found his gaze fixed on the child in her arms. “Would you like to hold your sister?”

His eyes shot up to meet hers in surprise. “Uh…I…can I?”

She shifted on the seat and got to her feet, rounding the table to stand in front of him as he twisted himself to face her. Gently placing her daughter on his lap, she held onto her until his much larger hands were securely holding her, then stepped back to reclaim her chair.

Trusting baby ice blue eyes searched his as Eden gazed up at him. Her little mouth took on an “ _o_ ” shape and a tiny hand reached up to touch his face. Little fingers prodded the softness of his cheek, making him laugh.

She blinked, then broke into an infectious giggle.

“Oh my God, she’s so cute,” he said in amazement.

“As were you at that age,” a deep, masculine voice said.

All three heads turned to see Thranduil standing in the doorway.

“However, as you grew older you lost that cuteness and became a royal pain in the arse,” he said dryly, walking towards them and setting a grocery sack on the table. “Hi, son.” The latter was added with warmth as a smile creased his eyes.

“Hey, Dad.” Legolas bumped his head against his father’s arm as he passed.

Ice blue eyes met Kira’s, and an eyebrow lifted in silent question.

She smiled in response.

“Yes, I _have_ apologised,” the younger Oropherion drawled. “I came over to try and make amends.”

“Good,” Thranduil said decidedly as he took three mugs from the cupboard and set them down onto the worktop. “I hope you have learned something.”

His son’s cheeks coloured slightly. “Yes.”

“There are no hard feelings,” Kira said, mainly to the towering blonde who was filling the kettle.

A glance was sent her way. “Am I safe to assume that we could all manage to go for a meal this evening, then?”

She looked towards Legolas, who smiled.

“One condition – I’m buying,” he said with a grin.

His father snorted. “Like you know I will allow you to pay,” he muttered. “But obviously we will have to go somewhere which will accommodate Eden; none of your fast-food burger joints or pizza places.”

“Of course not! What do you take me for?” the younger male demanded.

Kira smiled. “I’m sure we can find somewhere where they won’t mind heating a bottle and have changing facilities,” she said.

“They will do without our custom otherwise,” Thranduil stated. “Anyone for coffee?”

Two rounds of _yes, please_ met his ears as he automatically spooned coffee into the mugs.

“I will take you shopping for clothes later today,” he added over his shoulder.

“What?” Her jaw dropped in surprise.

“You need something to wear,” he pointed out. “You have two pairs of trousers, one blouse, and one t-shirt. That is not enough for any woman.”

“It’s enough for me,” she said. Her voice had lowered slightly.

Warm fingers slid under her chin and tipped her head up, and she found herself staring into beautiful ice blue eyes.

“I am taking you shopping,” he repeated softly. “Eden needs more clothing too. No arguments.” A swift kiss landed on her mouth and he pulled back, turning away to continue making the beverages.

Legolas grinned at the flush on her cheeks. “Let him,” he whispered. “I’ve never seen him like this before. I like him!”

“I have _exceptional_ hearing, my son,” his deep voice said as he stirred the coffees.

“Great – can you buy me some new gear while you’re out?” he suggested hopefully.

“No. Buy your own damned clothes, you abomination,” Thranduil shot back. “You have an allowance every month – use it.”

“Oh well,” he sighed, gazing at his sister who was more than content lying in his arms gazing up at him in silent wonder. “You can but try.”

“And you’re _very_ trying.” A mug of coffee was set in front of him. “Let me take Eden.”

The little one gurgled happily as she was passed carefully into her father’s strong hands and cradled against his chest.

Kira smiled.


	13. Deeper Bonds

** CHAPTER THIRTEEN – DEEPER BONDS **

“Dad, I told you, I’m more than happy to pay,” Legolas insisted as he followed the couple in front of him.

Thranduil led the way from the restaurant, holding the door open for Kira who carried Eden in her new car seat, followed by his son. “And I told you – I would pay,” he replied. “Take the gesture with the love it was given, and stop being so bull-headed.”

“Charming,” he muttered. “Well, I really enjoyed myself, and it’s been great getting to know you, Kira. And of course, my little sister.” A broad grin accompanied his words, reminding her of just how much like his father he was.

“I had a great time too,” she answered with a smile of her own. “We should get together again sometime.”

“Not this weekend though, you have an assessment paper which is due on Monday if I remember correctly,” Thranduil said.

“Shit…I forgot about that. It’s mostly done, to be fair…just a few bits and pieces that I need to tighten up on before submitting it.”

“Good. You can do that over Saturday and Sunday,” he told him. “Shall we drop you off at the campus on the way home?”

“Nah, it’s only a few blocks from here,” Legolas replied cheerfully. “Thanks for dinner, Dad.”

“You’re welcome, son.” A brief hug followed, then the younger Oropherion turned to the two females.

“Thanks, Kira,” he said, and impulsively kissed her cheek. “Behave for Mama and Dada,” he added to Eden, and gently touched his fingertip to her cheek.

She snuffled softly to herself but didn’t waken from her slumber.

“Catch you later, guys,” he said as he turned and walked away.

Thranduil’s steady gaze followed him. “He’s a good kid,” he murmered.

“I know. You’ve done wonders, and it shows,” she answered.

His eyes met hers. “I tried so hard when he was growing up to be both mother and father to him, to make the right decisions by him, and to support him both financially and emotionally. I always wonder if there was more I could have done.”

“Don’t question it. He’s an absolute credit to you,” she told him. “You should be proud of him, Thranduil. Really proud of him.”

He smiled as he strolled beside her on the way back to the car. “Nobody is perfect, but in my eyes, my son is as damned near perfect as one could be. I suppose that makes me biased.”

“Very,” she agreed with a laugh, changing Eden’s car seat from her left hand to her right.

“Here, let me,” he said, and took the reasonably heavy bundle from her. “Babies seem so small at first, but the longer you hold them, the heavier they seem to get. And the car seat isn’t exactly an ounce or two in weight either.” He switched the seat over to his right hand, and his left found hers.

She glanced up at him as his fingers entwined through hers in a warm, firm grip.

Questioning blue eyes met hers. “Is this ok?” he asked with an air of uncertainty.

“Yes. More than ok,” she told him.

They continued towards the car in a comfortable silence, where he unlocked it and opened the passenger door for her before moving to secure Eden in the back. The car rocked slightly as he settled his weight into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

“Are you warm enough?” he asked with a sideways glance as the car pulled smoothly out of the parking spot.

“Yes, I’m fine,” she replied. “It’s not as cold tonight as it was last night.”

“I can only be thankful that both of you will be staying somewhere warm. The thought of you in that apartment makes my blood turn to ice,” he remarked.

“We would’ve survived…I think,” she said, turning her head to look out of the side window.

He frowned and darted a quick look at her, but said nothing.

The journey back to his farmhouse seemed to take no time, and before she knew it they were climbing out of the vehicle. Thranduil carried the car seat containing his sleeping daughter, the care and gentleness seeming a little out of context in a male as large as him. Kira watched as he set the seat down so gently, brushing the back of his finger tenderly down Eden’s soft cheek. A smile curved his full mouth, and he turned to shrug his jacket from his broad shoulders once they were inside.

Her mouth went dry and she swallowed.

“I’ll change the wee one into her pyjamas and get her settled,” she said, feeling her throat constrict at the sight of his shirt stretched across his muscled back.

His eyes followed her as she lifted the seat and swept from the room, but he said nothing. Her voice has sounded off; something was on her mind.

Within the privacy of the room she shared with her baby, she set the seat down onto the carpet beside the bed and closed her eyes. Being around Thranduil was playing havoc with her equilibrium.

She wanted him.

He’d said he loved her, but was he in a place where he wanted to take the next step and re-establish what they’d shared out in the forest? He was clearly relishing being a father again, but was that clouding his thoughts and emotions?

She didn’t know.

All she knew was that every time she heard his deep voice, her insides clenched painfully in a silent call to mate with him. Her body ached to be in his arms, to be both worshipped and punished by his in every way imaginable. The night they’d spent together was burnt into her memory for all eternity, and every night she lay alone in the darkness replaying every sweet moment.

The warmth of his flesh. The heat of his mouth as he’d kissed her. The strong muscles beneath her exploring fingers. The soft brush of his long hair against her skin. The hot fire in his eyes as he’d gazed into hers. The powerful thrust of his hips as he’d taken them both to an elevated level of bliss and pleasure. The hot hands that had explored every inch of her body in the darkness of the tent they’d constructed.

She shook her head and went over to the chest of drawers to retrieve a Babygro suit for her daughter. He’d purchased several earlier that day, along with some clothing for herself. The fabric felt soft against her fingertips as she paused again. Mentally berating her inner thoughts, she went back and lifted her sleeping child and laid her on the bed. A quick diaper change and the sleepsuit was on, with Eden being placed undisturbed into the crib. Kira’s mind drifted once more as she pulled the blankets over her.

Thranduil had been a selfless lover. He’d taken time and exercised patience in bringing her to orgasm, seeming to relish every gasp and sigh from her as he’d guided her past the stars and into a distant euphoria she’d only dreamt of. The hours had drifted past in a cloud of sexual ecstasy as she’d discovered things about her body even she hadn’t known. His seemingly endless stamina had taken her to dizzying heights time and time again as he’d made love to her, his mind focused on her pleasure and not his own.

Her shoulders felt heavy and burdened as she left the room and pulled the door over so that a small gap remained. The walk down the plush carpeted stairs felt like she was wading through thick treacle.

“Kira?”

His soft question made her lift her head.

His heart thumped as her eyes met his and he read the depths.

Loneliness.

Emptiness.

_Desire._

His nostrils flared and his gaze remained on her as she walked towards him. Not breaking their visual connection, he set the mail he’d been holding onto the worktop behind himself. His hands automatically reached out and grasped her upper arms and he tugged her closer.

A whimper of unrestrained need escaped from her as his mouth crashed onto hers, and her hands clutched his strong arms. Desire flushed through her entire body and she instinctively arched towards his. Heat flowed between them as his hands moved to slide around her back and he crushed her up against his chest.

Kira’s own hands lifted and tangled in the lengths of his hair as she groaned into his kiss. Hungry lips forced hers apart and his tongue demanded entry. The room seemed to tilt off-kilter with the force of sexual energy that buzzed back and forth between them. Thranduil turned her and slid his hands down to her thighs, lifting her up onto the worktop in one swift movement and nudging himself in between them. She instinctively twisted her legs around his waist and hauled him closer.

Just as quickly, he broke the kiss and pulled back, panting.

She breathed hard as she gazed at him.

“Do you want this?” he whispered raggedly. “Because I know that I do.”

“More than anything,” she replied breathlessly. “I’ve thought of little else since you came back into my life.”

The seconds ticked past as he held her gaze. His eyes seemed to penetrate her very soul, which she showed him openly and without restraint. The pulsating throb of his heartbeat was visible on the side of his neck, drawing her gaze. His full mouth was swollen, his eyes heavy with desire.

She brought her hands around his shoulders and around the front of his neck. Warm skin tingled under her fingertips as she opened the button of his dark blue shirt and eased the fabric apart. Her eyes lifted to his once more, to find him clearly struggling to hold his composure.

She leaned forwards and pressed an open-mouthed kiss to his upper chest and he inhaled deeply. His fingers dug into the flesh of her hips and tugged her even closer. The intoxicating smell of cherry body lotion filled his senses as he closed his eyes. Soft kisses trailed up the side of his neck to the base of his ear, where she tugged his earlobe gently between her teeth with a soft moan.

“I need you, Kira,” he whispered hoarsely. “I need you so badly, my love…”

She moved her head in search of his mouth and moaned again when she found it. Frantically unbuttoning the rest of his shirt, she angled her head and let him deepen the sensual kiss. His tongue probed gently and she welcomed the intrusion. Fire tore through her body to centre between her open thighs and she rocked her lower body against his in response.

The air between them changed.

The kiss between them changed.

Hunger and sheer lust arced between the two, locked in a tight embrace as she balanced on the kitchen worktop. Noisy kisses and pants of desperation filled the air as clothing was lifted and pushed aside. Thranduil supported her weight and lifted her. Long, purposeful strides carried them towards the stairs and he began to climb them.

“I’m too heavy,” she gasped after tearing her mouth from his.

He chased it. “No, you are not,” he panted. “You are perfect.”

His bedroom door was booted open as they reached the top and crashed off the wall behind it. Ignoring it, he crossed the thick carpet and lowered her onto the bed. His weight settled comfortably on top of her as they rolled over.

Cushions and pillows scattered and landed unheeded on the floor.

Kira sat up and pushed his shirt from his shoulders. “I need to touch you.”

He obligingly sat up with her and shrugged himself free from the garment. It landed on the floor behind her as she tossed it over her shoulder, almost in disgust, he noted with a small smile of amusement.

“What’s funny?” Her pained whisper was muffled against his mouth as she dove for him again.

“Nothing; you’re just such a greedy little vixen,” he whispered back.

“I prefer hungry,” she replied. Her mouth travelled down his neck. “Starved.”

His large, warm hands slid underneath her t-shirt and dragged the material upwards. Her back was hot to his touch, and his fingers instinctively flexed against the flesh. She wriggled her hips a little as she released her hold on him and yanked the top off.

He gave a deep hum of appreciation as his eyes lowered. Her light green bra stretched tightly over her full breasts, which seemed slightly larger than he remembered. A soft gasp left her as his hands swept around to take their weight and his thumbs rubbed across her nipples. They hardened instantly beneath the soft fabric.

As quick as a flash he tugged the straps down and rolled over so that she was pinned beneath him. His lips closed over one nipple and she released a guttural moan from the back of her throat. Her breathing came in fits and starts as his tongue flicked over the puckered flesh and strong cheek muscles sucked hard.

Her body tensed as his mouth slid downwards.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” he whispered. He pushed himself up onto his elbows and gazed at her. “What’s the matter?”

“N…nothing,” she stammered. Her cheeks turned pink in the dim light cast from a small lamp on the bookcase in the corner.

“Kira?”

She swallowed. “It…it’s different now,” she eventually admitted.

“Different how?” he questioned, puzzled.

“I…” Her teeth sank into her lower lip. “I have…scars…”

His eyebrows came down slightly in a frown of confusion. “What scars?”

She closed her eyes briefly and sucked in a shaky breath. “Eden was an emergency C-section delivery,” she said softly.

Thick, dark lashes slowly blinked. “And you think that I will be turned off by the scar?”

“Yes.” Her answer was barely audible even in the still silence.

Ice blue eyes crinkled at the outer corners as he smiled tenderly. “I will not be.” His head lowered and he went back to kissing his way down over her abdomen. “I am not that easily put off, my darling. Not where you are concerned.” Lower still. “I desire you like I have never desired before.” Even lower. “A scar will not take away the need to become one with you.”

He stopped and lifted himself back onto his elbows. The tip of one finger lightly traced along a seemingly small incision just above the line of her pubic hair, and her stomach muscles twitched in response.

“This scar?” His eyes lifted back to hers, and she nodded hesitantly. His finger slowly moved across the mark and back again. “This scar represents the child that we created. The child that you nourished and protected for nine months and gave birth to,” he continued. His voice was low and seductive. “This stands for the bond that we had then, and will have again. It symbolises the result of our union, and that result is the most beautiful child who is asleep in the next room.”

She swallowed as his eyes flicked between the scar on her abdomen and her eyes. “I didn’t know if you’d be disgusted by it.”

He shook his head, his long blonde hair drifting across her sensitised skin with the movement. “No. Never. How could I be, when this is how our daughter was brought into the world? It is something to carry with pride, my love, not shame or disgust.” His warm mouth touched a gentle kiss to her skin and then another, before moving lower. Gentle fingers peeled down the elastic of her knickers and pushed them down her legs.

Kira gasped as his warm tongue swept between her thighs, coaxing her hips into an instinctive rhythm against him.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered. “So perfect.” Another lick. “So mine.” Another lick.

She whimpered helplessly and reached blindly for him. Her fingers threaded through his as he wordlessly responded to her silent need, and tightened. “Oh my God…Thranduil…” she gasped.

“Does that feel good?”

“Yes…yes, yes…yes, it does!”

“Good,” he chuckled, before lapsing into silence and concentrating on giving her pleasure. His free hand wound around her outer thigh and downwards, where his fingers held her open to his exploration. His tongue discovered every single millimetre of her flesh and teased it into a higher state of sensitivity.

Her other hand gripped the bedsheet into a fist and she moved restlessly on the cool fabric. Her body seemed to react to him with a mind of its own and without her consent or guidance. Both feet curled against his ribs as her knees widened even further, giving him more room to deliver his beautiful torture.

“You taste so sweet,” he murmered, continuing to pleasure her. “So fucking hot and wet for me…”

A garbled cry sounded as her body began to tighten.

Thranduil reluctantly pulled away and lifted himself over her with his weight braced on both hands. His eyes held hers as he nudged against the slick flesh between her legs and pushed inside. A deep sigh rumbled from the depths of his soul as her body closed around him, and his eyes fluttered closed as he savoured the feeling. Deep, rolling thrusts made the bed creak, but neither of them paid attention. Kira slid her hands up his arms and locked them at the back of his neck, pulling him down so she could kiss him. Their mouths met in a clash of hunger; greed; passion. His hands slid underneath her and up her back to her shoulders, where they crossed over and held her as tightly as he dared.

Incoherent noises drifted from both of them as they began to move faster and with more urgency. She brought her hands forwards and framed his face, pulling back a touch to gaze up at him.

“I’m going to come,” she whispered. “Oh my fucking God, Thranduil…I’m going to come…”

He throbbed deep within her at the plea in her statement. “Then come for me,” he whispered against her mouth as he kissed her again. His movements changed to short, rapid thrusts, and she squealed.

Harder.

Faster.

“Please don’t stop..!” she begged. “Oh fuck…please…”

Her body arched and squirmed under his as she peaked and exploded. Cries of ecstasy filled his ears as she writhed in the throes of her orgasm. Unable to hold out for much longer, he finally gave in to the overpowering need to come himself, and his large body stiffened with a deep groan as he climaxed inside her.

Her knees lifted and her feet crossed at his waist as she felt his hot fluid filling her. Deep, panting breaths and moans of bliss floated over the couple as they gradually relaxed against one another.

Several minutes later, he lifted his head and ran the pad of his thumb along her jawbone. “Are you alright?” he asked softly.

She smiled as she nodded. “Yes. More than alright,” she answered. Her mouth tilted up to meet his soft lips and she murmered in contentment. 


	14. A False Sense Of Security

** CHAPTER FOURTEEN – A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY **

Thranduil smiled as he rolled over onto his side, his arm sliding underneath the warm, naked body beside him. His head lowered and his mouth placed gentle butterfly kisses along the flesh of an exposed arm.

The arm moved and a muffled sound seeped out from the pillow.

“Are you awake yet, my love?” he whispered. His fingers traced little patterns on the skin.

Kira’s head lifted briefly then thumped back down again. “What time is it?” she mumbled.

“Daytime,” he answered.

“What?!?” She moved abruptly, but he pressed against her shoulder and pushed her back to lie on her stomach again.

“I have already fed and changed Eden, and she is in her crib playing with her rattle,” he said. “Don’t panic, she’s absolutely fine. Both doors are open, and I can hear her babbling away to herself.”

She groaned helplessly into the too-soft pillow. “I can’t believe I’ve slept this long. I never sleep this long.”

“You needed it. You had an active night last night.”

She turned her head towards him and forced her eyes open to look accusingly at him.

He laughed; a deep, rumbling laughter that bubbled up from his gut. “What? You were exhausted,” he said defensively. “That is why I just let you sleep on. You obviously needed the rest.”

“How can you look so bright…so alert…so…fucking _attractive_ after last night?” she demanded. The bed beneath her bounced a little as she pushed herself up onto her elbows, where he eyed her quizzically. “I mean look at you. You don’t have a hair out of place. You look like you’ve been up for hours and are wide awake. You certainly don’t look like you spent most of the night rolling around the bed.”

“But I did, and what a night it was,” he grinned. “Why do I get the feeling that you are most definitely not a morning person?”

“I need more sleep,” she grunted, and dropped back down onto the mattress.

He chuckled and pressed more kisses to her shoulder. “I love you,” he whispered.

Her eyes opened again and she stared into his ice blue eyes. “I love you too,” she murmered. She shifted, rising back up onto her elbows. “I really do.”

A warm smile curved his full mouth. “I’m glad,” he said softly. “This last year has been a nightmare; an absolute disastrous twelve months.” His head lowered as he shook it. “I’d never wish what I went through on anyone. And God only knows what you must have gone through. Alone. Scared. Pregnant. Probably feeling abandoned. I wish I could take all that away.”

Her hand lifted and settled against his cheek. “We’ve both survived it in our own ways,” she said quietly. “We’ve found each other again, Eden now has you in her life – which she needed, and I have the feeling you did too – and we can move forwards. Maybe losing touch for all that time will make us stronger as a couple, who knows?”

He turned his head and kissed her palm. “All I know is that right now, everything I could ever have wished for or dreamed of is right here. And I intend to do everything in my power to ensure that you and our child are happy, secure, and shall want for nothing. Having you back with me…Kira, I do not have the words needed to tell you how much that means to me. And our daughter, although she was a surprise and if I’m honest, a shock to me, she will always know how much I love her. That is my oath.”

“Then she could never ask for anything else,” she whispered. “At least she will know that she has the love of both parents – I never had that.”

“I’m sorry. No child should go through life knowing that one of their parents couldn’t tolerate their presence,” he murmered. “I did everything in my power to shield Legolas from the truth when he was young, and only admitted everything to him when I considered him old and mature enough to process it and cope with it. I dare say it still hurt him, though.”

“I have no doubt,” she agreed as she rolled onto her back. Her eyes wandered up to the ceiling overhead. “What are your plans for today? Shouldn’t you be thinking of going back to work at some point?”

He sighed and threw his weight onto the mattress. “Yes…I should, being honest,” he said grudgingly. His head turned and he looked at her. “But I have no inclination to. I’d much rather stay here and be with my family.”

She smiled. “That attitude won’t keep the Oropherion Realm hotels at the top of the rankings against the giants,” she told him. “And you know this.”

“Perhaps it’s time I took a step back from running the business,” he said thoughtfully.

“What?” She shot up onto her elbows. “You’re not serious…”

He shrugged. “I’ve devoted the last twenty four, twenty five years to building the hotels up to what they are,” he said. “And at what expense?” His ice blue eyes gazed into hers as he waited for a response.

“But you’ve provided Legolas with a comfortable, secure childhood, and made him the adult that he is now,” she pointed out. “And if your work ethics have passed onto him, then you’ve achieved something amazing.”

He pursed his mouth. “Granted. But I missed out on a lot, Kira. A lot of things that a parent shouldn’t miss. First steps. First words. First smile. First night sleeping right through. A whole lot of firsts that can never be repeated, or relived. I do not want that to happen with Eden. I want to make up for what I’ve already missed.”

“I can understand that. But your work has been your life for years, Thranduil,” she reminded him.

He lifted one hand and ran his fingertips down her cheek, over her jaw, and down her neck. “I want to do this differently,” he whispered. “I want to go with you for her check-ups. I want to be there when you register her for school. I want to pick her up from hockey practice. I want to go to her school play. I want to help her with her homework.”

“She might take after her mother and _hate_ hockey,” she said with a grin, and he laughed.

“I said all that and that is all you heard? Whatever she wishes to partake in, you utter menace,” he chuckled, rolling over and swinging his legs out of the bed. He twisted his head and rolled his shoulders to loosen the muscles.

Kira swallowed as she gazed at his strong back.

His profile presented itself to her as he turned his head slightly. “Yearning again, so soon?” he teased.

“How did you know what I was thinking?” she demanded.

“I could practically feel you staring at me,” he replied. “Looks like that will not tend to our child, who is beginning to sound restless as she can hear us talking.”

She _hmmph_ ’d and followed him out of bed. He handed her a bathrobe with a smile and tugged on his boxers. Following him across the luxurious carpeted floor, she smiled as her daughter’s gummy grin came into view as they entered her room. Her little arms immediately rose up to be lifted, and Thranduil cast a questioning look over his shoulder.

“Your daughter wants you,” she told him simply.

He leaned down and lifted her from the crib, a warm smile curving his full mouth as she giggled and gripped his hair. “How are you this morning, my little Princess?” he cooed.

A stream of nonsensical babble was the reply.

“Did Daddy bathe you already?” Kira asked in astonishment, running a hand over her still slightly damp white-blonde hair.

“You needed your rest, my darling,” he told her as he cradled Eden against his chest. “Stop complaining. I’m trying to help.”

“I know, I didn’t mean it in a bad way,” she laughed, amused at his tone. “I suppose I’m just surprised at how hands-on you are.”

“What did you think, that I’d send a cheque every month?” Heavy eyebrows arched downwards. “I am not like that, Kira. Eden is my child, and I will be there for both you and her. I made a promise, and I do not intend on breaking that promise.”

She gently touched a hand to his upper arm. “I know,” she said softly. “I don’t know what I expected, but definitely not that. Maybe I’m so used to people doing only what they really have to do, rather than doing what they want to do.”

“Then you have been around the wrong people.” His large frame turned and he carried his child down to the kitchen, where she was content to remain in his arms. Kira followed and filled the kettle for coffee.

“I really don’t mean to insult you,” she said after a short silence.

He glanced at her as he settled the little one on his hip and used his free hand to take eggs from the fridge. “I know this, and you didn’t. You worry far too much, sweetheart. _Far_ too much. It’s past time for you to relax a little; enjoy what life has to offer. Enjoy new experiences instead of dreading what’s ahead for you.”

A heartfelt sigh sounded as she set two mugs out on the gleaming worktop. “It’s hard, Thranduil. Really hard.”

He frowned in concern. “How come?”

“Just…just the way everything’s been until now. I can’t explain it any other way…I’ve just become so used to expecting the worst in any given scenario,” she replied. Her eyes didn’t meet his.

She physically jumped a little as his warm hand touched her back.

“Kira, I know that you have gone through a lot in the past; losing your father, your mother turning away from you, the plane crash and everything that followed, having to cope with Eden all alone…everything is changing, my darling,” he said. “And I mean everything. You will never be alone again, and you will never have to face any problems alone. I will always be here – I don’t know what to say to make you believe me.”

She turned to face him, and his heart cracked a little at the glimmer of tears in her eyes.

“Eden has given me a strength that I didn’t know I had. But she’s also showed me a very vulnerable side too, one I didn’t know was there, and it scares me,” she whispered. “What if I’m not strong enough anymore? What if something happens to me?”

“What would happen?” he asked instantly.

“Anything. Nobody knows what’s ahead. We didn’t know when we set foot on that flight that it would crash and kill everyone on board except us,” she pointed out.

“True. But look at the plus side of that, and there _is_ a plus side. It brought us both together, and brought this amazing little girl into the world.”

Her eyes shifted to her child, who was staring up at Thranduil with big, innocent eyes, completely spell-bound by him.

“Things do not happen without some sort of reason,” he said. “Perhaps we do not know the reasoning at the time, or it may be years before anything begins to make sense, but somehow it does all come together.” Gentle fingers tenderly threaded through her hair. “We have an amazing future in front of us, my love. You just have to believe in it. Believe in me.”

“I do,” she said softly. “God…with all my heart, I _do._ ”

“Then fix us some coffee, I will make us scrambled eggs, and we will take our daughter shopping,” he suggested. “There is a shopping mall not too far from here and some of the women at work rant and rave about the baby stores. I’m sure we can find something that meets this little Lady’s criteria.” He glanced down at his child, who had snuggled against his bare chest and was relaxed with the skin-to-skin contact. Her little eyes were beginning to close, and within seconds she was snoring softly.

*****

“Tell me about your pregnancy.”

Kira lifted her eyes from the babygro in her hands and met Thranduil’s across the rack of clothing. “I don’t think there’s all that much to tell. It was a reasonably textbook one; no serious issues or anything,” she answered.

“Were you sick?”

“Oh God yes – morning, noon, and night. For six months,” she told him. The babygro went back onto the rail. “Then it stopped as suddenly as it had started.”

“Did you have any strange cravings?” he wanted to know.

“Strawberry milkshake,” she responded immediately, making him laugh. “What? At least I wasn’t chewing tree bark or eating the ashes out of the fireplace!”

“Granted,” he conceded. “So how was the delivery? You had a C-section…how did that come about?”

She walked around the clothing rail and joined him, the two of them strolling slowly through the massive store. He carried Eden in her cat seat.

“I went into labour and couldn’t deliver her,” she said. “My pelvic bones wouldn’t open enough for her to pass through. I was in labour for about seven or eight hours before they realised they were going to have to look at an alternative.”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Childbirth is a horrific pain, without any added complications.”

She bumped her shoulder against his. “Hey, she was worth it. And I stayed awake through the procedure, so I saw her as soon as she was born.”

A shadow flitted across his face

“Oh Thranduil…I’m sorry,” she gasped, coming to a stop and touching her hand to his arm. “I shouldn’t have said that. I didn’t mean-“

“It’s alright, Kira. Honestly,” he told her. “The circumstances were out of our control. She is in my life now, and that is what matters. Don’t worry about it, honestly.”

“I have a habit of saying the wrong things,” she said, downcast. “I really need to think before I speak.”

He stopped to face her. “That is exactly what I do _not_ want,” he told her. “Why should you censor your thoughts and what you say? That isn’t what a relationship entails, my darling. You should know this.”

She nodded grudgingly as she sighed and gazed past his arm. “I do. But you _did_ miss out on a life-changing experience, and I guess part of me does feel bad about that, even though I tried to find you.”

“You have a lot of nonsense in your head,” he said dryly as he began walking again.

She laughed, finding his tone comical. “Worrying about _nonsense_ is what I do. I’m female.”

“Oh, don’t I know that you’re female,” he murmered as he slid her a sideways glance.

She blushed almost on cue, making him chuckle.

“And I fully intend on taking my time to explore every female part of you.” Humour filled his eyes, accompanied by unadulterated lust.

Kira tipped her head back and laughed, lightly slapping him on the back as he walked slightly before her into another store. Something made her turn her head and her laughter died.

Cold ice filtered through her body as she locked gazes with someone on the other side of the shopping complex. Someone she never thought she’d see again. Her heartbeat thudded against her ribs. She felt nauseous. Her palms began to feel sweaty.

Oblivious to her state of mind, Thranduil held the glass door open for her as he passed through it. She snapped herself out of her trance-like state and mentally shook herself.

“Shall we have a look at the prams while we’re here?” he asked over his shoulder. “It would be nice to go out for walks with Eden, and when I’m at work you can still take her out around the neighbourhood.”

“Yes…yes, that would be an idea,” she agreed. Her thoughts were jumbled and muddled as she tried to pull herself together without showing her discomfort. 

“The fresh air and sunshine would do you both the world of good,” he continued as he walked in front of her.

His words faded under the roar in her ears and the heavy hammering beat of her heart as is went into overdrive. She cast a quick glance over her shoulder, but the person she’d spotted was lost in the crowds that swarmed the complex. Heaving a deep breath into her lungs, she straightened her back and walked behind the tall blonde.

“So what do you think?” he asked, looking down at her as she came alongside him.

“To what?” she asked blankly. “Sorry…I was somewhere else,” she added at his look of confusion.

“Colour and style of a pram,” he said, in a tone indicating that he was repeating it.

“Oh. I’m happy with whatever, babe,” she said with a bright smile. “And I’ll go halves for the cost once I’m working again.”

He snorted. “You will not,” he counteracted. “Go halves,” he muttered under his breath. “Seriously, Kira?”

“I don’t mind.”

“I do.” Purposeful strides carried him towards a large section which was home to a multitude of prams, all different shapes, sizes, and colours.

She battled within herself to steady her thoughts and emotions as she walked, determined to push the sight of the other person out of her mind and enjoy her day with him and their daughter.

Nothing was going come in the way of their happiness.


	15. Blast From The Past

** CHAPTER FIFTEEN – BLAST FROM THE PAST  **

The next few days followed uneventfully.

Thranduil went in to work for a few hours each morning, returning around lunchtime and spending the rest of the day with the two females in his life.

Legolas made a point of dropping round frequently, finding one excuse after another to be around and gush over Eden. The little one adored the attention, and was clearly smitten with her brother. As soon as she clapped eyes on the blonde, her face lit up and she squealed in excitement.

Legolas found it amusing, commenting along the lines of how females were naturally in awe of his presence.

His father had made a noise which was a cross between a snort of disgust and a cough.

Kira found herself drawing closer to the younger Oropherion as she discovered he was very like his father in nature. He handled his baby sister with care and tenderness, and it was blatantly obvious she had him wrapped around her little finger as she cooed and blew bubbles at him. Several times she would cry solely to be held by him, and her mother smiled as she observed how her child instinctively knew how to get what she wanted from him.

Thranduil would also smile discreetly as he observed the interaction between his two children. The connection between brother and sister warmed his heart. Legolas had grown as an only child and although he’d provided everything he could for him, he knew that not having a sibling had resulted in losing out on the experience most of his friends had. Having the companionship and closeness of a brother or sister could never be bought; he knew this from being an only child himself. His gaze frequently settled on both offspring as he watched them bond and connect, and it warmed his heart.

A choice selection of friends visited to meet Kira and the Oropherion baby, all bearing gifts for the youngster. His head accountant, Thorin, arrived with a beautifully hand-stitched quilt, embossed with characters from various nursery rhymes and glittering stars. He was one of the first to appear in the guise of offering his congratulations.

Kira suspiciously thought he was being nosey, but kept her thoughts to herself.

“I have to say Thranduil – none was more surprised than I when I heard you’d become a father again,” the bearded well-wisher said.

Thranduil merely smirked as he handed him a glass of wine. “I always keep my private life just that – private,” he reminded him.

Thorin eyed him as he accepted the glass, putting two and two together in his rapid processing mind. “This is why you were so low after the plane crash,” he said softly.

The blonde darted a glance in his direction, and Thorin could see in his eyes that he’d hit the truth.

“Yes,” he said, almost in a whisper. “I lost Kira for an entire year. I did not know if she was even alive after what we’d come through together.” His chest heaved as he inhaled deeply. “It is a blessing that she came for an interview, otherwise I still would not have known.”

“I like her,” Thorin said. “She clearly dotes on the little one, and from what I can see, she’s madly in love with you, even after all this time. You must have made some impression on her.”

The much taller blonde smiled. “I guess I did,” he agreed. He lowered his tall frame to sit on the couch opposite his colleague and friend, crossing one long leg over the other. “As she did with me. I was completely smitten.”

Thorin smiled. “I see a difference in you.”

“In what way?”

“You seem more relaxed, more settled…more at peace, I suppose,” he replied. “And Eden is your absolute _double,_ man. I don’t think I’ve ever seen father and daughter look so much alike.”

A broad smile curved his mouth. “It is rather uncanny how much she resembles me,” he admitted.

“No DNA test needed there.”

His sharp gaze shot over to meet his guest’s at his comment. “And what exactly does that mean?”

“Hey, I meant no offence,” Thorin defended himself. “I only meant that it’s clear that you fathered her. That is all.”

“She and her mother have been through untold struggles,” he said. “I do not wish to put them through anything further. My role from here on is to ensure that they both have everything they could ever need or want.”

“Old feelings still there?” the other man asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yes, and they are double, if not more, than what they were at the time,” he shot back. “I will not be parted from Kira again. And now that I know I have a daughter, I will not be parted from her either. They need me and anything that I can provide.”

“How is Legolas taking all this?” Thorin asked, wisely making the decision to change the subject before he ended up with his head in his hands.

“He’s bonding really well with Kira, and he absolutely adores Eden,” Thranduil replied. “Of course, it was a shock to him at first. It was to me also. But he has adjusted and accepted both of them with an open mind.”

“He’s a good kid, Thran. Have faith in him,” he said.

“I do. I just wish Kira and Eden had happened years ago.”

“Fate is what fate is,” his friend told him. “You cannot hurry what the Gods have planned for us.”

The blonde’s gaze fixed on his wine glass as he twisted the stem between his fingers. “There was a time when I wondered how fate could be so cruel. Cruel to take the lives of so many people on board that flight. Cruel to take Kira away from me. Cruel to leave me wallowing in a state of despair through not knowing what had happened to her.”

“Then I say it’s long past the time for some good luck,” Thorin told him. He leaned forwards and rested his elbows on his knees. “Don’t dwell on the last year, buddy. Embrace what’s appeared in front of you and enjoy it to the max. If you question everything, you stand a good chance of losing it.”

Thoughtful eyes met his, but he didn’t reply.

The accountant’s two nephews, Fili and Kili, visited and brought with them a beautifully hand-carved chest of drawers. The solid oak unit had an intricate design of leaves twisted along the front of each drawer, and spoke of hours and hours of patience in creating it. Legolas’s study buddy, a beautiful redhead named Tauriel, visited with him and presented Kira with a crocheted shawl for the little one. Thranduil’s events planner Bilbo turned up with a silver memory box for mementos, with Eden’s name and date of birth engraved alongside a beautiful stag.

“Your friends have been really generous with Eden,” Kira remarked one night as she dried dishes.

Thranduil smiled as he placed a couple of mugs into the hot soapy water. “I choose my friends carefully,” he told her as he washed one and handed it to her. “And I choose who I allow into my private circle even more so. I have been burned too many times for my liking.”

A frown creased her forehead as she dried the cup. “In what way?”

He shrugged. “Unfortunately there are a lot of leeches in this world, my love. People who think that they are entitled to a share of whatever someone else has. And they will go all out to attain that share, entitled or not.”

“That sounds ominous,” she murmered as she set the mug into the cupboard at head height. “Is that what Legolas meant when he said he’d thought you would have learned from the past?”

“Maybe,” he answered on a weary sigh. “His mother took a hefty chunk of money with her when she left. And I have not existed as a monk through the years; I have had some relationships since. And each one seemed to be aimed at the exact same thing – how to emerge at the end of it with as much as financially possible.”

Her hand automatically settled between his shoulder blades and she leaned her head against him. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “People can be so horrible sometimes.” She sighed quietly. “This is exactly why I had the urge to run when you told me that you owned the hotel chain, rather than worked for them.”

His head turned and he looked down at her, his ice blue eyes searching hers. “You are different, Kira,” he said softly. “Something, somehow, back a year ago…I cannot explain it. I knew deep within myself that you’re not like other people. There is a quality to you that I cannot as yet fathom. But I will, through time.” A sexy smile finished off his statement.

“I never want anyone to think that this is a money thing,” she said, shaking her head. “Anything I’ve ever had in my life has been worked for, grafted for. I don’t feel comfortable with the thought of you footing the bill for my keep. And you’re spending money like it’s going out of fashion since I appeared – don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

He laughed; a deep, rich sound that flowed through her veins. “I am allowed to spoil my daughter and my lover,” he told her. “And I will continue to do so for as long as I can get away with it.” He dropped a swift kiss onto her mouth before resuming washing the cups.

She grumbled under her breath as she took various items from him to dry them. He flicked excess water from his hands and dried them on the hand towel hanging from the cupboard door handle. Tossing it onto the drainer board, he turned to her and removed her tea-towel, tossing it over his shoulder. Questioning eyes gazed up at him as his hands slid up her neck to bury into her hair. Those eyes drifted closed as he lowered his head and brushed his mouth over hers in an enticing kiss full of promise.

Moaning softly, she lifted both hands and wound her fingers through his silken hair.

The kiss deepened.

Flames of passion ripped through her, and he felt the shudder that rippled up her spine, smiling into the kiss. “Do I do that to you?” he murmered as he kissed his way down her neck.

“Yes,” she said on a breathless sigh. Her head tilted slightly to give him more room to explore. “Yessss…”

His soft pants of breath fluttered over her sensitive skin as his mouth moved, his wet tongue tracing patterns just under her ear. Large hands roved down her back and settled on the curves of her ass cheeks and squeezed. “You have the curviest, most squeeze-able arse I’ve ever set eyes on,” he whispered against her flesh. “I could quite happily have it in my hands all day, every day.”

A giggle sounded from her, and she pushed her hips against his. Turning her head a little, her mouth found his neck and she placed several kisses up the length of it. Thranduil sighed deeply in appreciation and breathed through the pangs of need centring in his groin.

“I need you,” she murmered. Sharp little teeth sunk into his neck, and he hissed in pleasure. “You’ve turned me into a nymphomaniac…”

“Then allow me to take care of your needs,” he replied.

She squeaked in surprise as he swiftly turned her and forced her against the edge of the table. Hot kisses caressed her neck as he towered over her, and his hands lifted her shirt to close over both breasts. Her back arched involuntarily, pushing her rear firmly against his erection, and he cursed under his breath. He shifted his hands and tore the shirt open, pulling it down over her upper arms before caressing her breasts again.

“You feel like heaven, baby,” he whispered.

Her breathing turned to gasps as he rolled her nipples between his index fingers and thumbs. Sparks of electricity surged down between her thighs. She whimpered in disappointment as the sensation eased, his hands drawing away from her. But the sound of his belt being unfastened made her wriggle against him impatiently. The stretchy fabric of her leggings eased down her thighs along with her underwear, and gentle fingers brushed over the damp apex.

Her teeth sunk into her lower lip and she moaned softly.

“You are so wet,” he whispered. “I have barely touched you, yet you are so wet and ready for me…”

“I’m always ready for you,” she whispered back. A guttural cry ripped from the back of her throat as the tip of his shaft pushed against her and breeched her just a little. Her body flexed around him as he slowly pushed deeper. He groaned at the feeling of her tight muscles contracting, enclosing him in a velvet steel grip, and dug his fingers into the flesh of her hips.

“Fuckkk…” he hissed between gritted teeth. “Holy fuckkk…”

Impatient to take all of him, Kira pushed back and cried out in pleasure as he sunk all the way in until he was buried in her to the hilt. His thighs felt warm against the back of hers, his strong leg muscles tensing as he fought to hold his position. She gripped the edge of the table, breathing hard.

“More,” she panted. “More, Thranduil…more…”

She almost howled in pleasure as he slowly began pumping his hips into her, the steady rhythm igniting a succession of fireworks throughout her body. She rocked back against him to the pace he was setting, each movement making both of them moan out loud.

“Oh fuckkk…you feel so good…” he rasped behind her. “So fucking good, baby…so fucking good…”

One hand left her hip and slid up over her abdomen to settle against her left breast. Her head lowered as she moved with purpose, determined to make him a little rougher with her. Short, rapid thrusts were his silent response, and each one made her shudder form head to toe.

“Oh my God,” she cried. “Thranduil…Thranduil, I need to come…please…”

“So quickly,” he panted, and she could hear the amusement in his words. “I did promise to satisfy your every need, did I not?”

“Yes!” she gasped.

Both hands gripped her shoulders and tugged her upright so that her back was flush against his chest.

“Then come for me,” he rasped. Hot kisses trailed down her neck as her head tipped back to lean against his shoulder, his long hair spilling over her chest as he leaned down. “Let me feel you explode for me.”

Her body tingled and tightened as his thrusts intensified in both depth and ferocity. The edge of the table thumped hard against her upper thighs as he pumped hard into her. She lifted her hands and interlocked her fingers at the back of his head. He breathed in harsh pants against her ear as his pace increased, the swell of her ass grinding against him sending him hurtling towards his own completion. Fingers gripped and squeezed, lips placed wet, breathless kisses onto exposed flesh.

He gripped her chin and forced her head to one side as his mouth crashed onto hers. Her knees gave way beneath her as his tongue pushed insistently inside, thrusting to the rhythm of his hips as he fucked her. Everything around her collided in a blurry mess as she climaxed, her cries of ecstasy swallowed in the kiss. Within a few seconds, she felt the hot blast as he reached his own orgasm, and both of them leaned heavily onto the table.

The polished wood felt cool against her cheek as she closed her eyes and breathed hard. Thranduil’s weight behind her pinned her to the surface; a heavy, reassuring weight on top of her quivering body. His hand slid across the table and his fingers twisted between hers in a firm grip.

Minutes ticked past.

“Are you alright, my darling?” he whispered after a while.

“Mmm,” she mumbled. “I feel great.” A sleepy, contented smile curved her lips.

Very slowly, his form shifted and he slowly slid out of her. The cool air hit her instantly, making her wish he was still sheathed deep within her. Gentle hands pulled her underwear and leggings back up, and he lifted her upper body to turn her around.

Caring, concerned eyes searched her face as he tenderly swept stray hair aside. “Are you sure? I feel that perhaps that was a bit rough-“

She stood up onto her toes and crushed her mouth against his, taking him by surprise, but stopping his flow of words. “I loved it,” she whispered as she pulled back a fraction. “I won’t break.”

He smiled. “I just want to make sure that you’re alright, that is all,” he told her. “I feel like I lose control whenever we are together.”

“And I like it,” she replied. A shiver ran through her. “Damn…I’m quite cold now.”

“May I suggest a bath?” he asked. “We could share one. Hot water, candles, bubbles…”

“I would love that,” she answered. “Lead the way, Handsome.”

He smiled as he took her hand in his and they headed upstairs.

*****

Kira hummed softly to herself as she tidied the lounge. She picked up cushions and battered them back into shape before setting them on the impressively large leather couch. Several rattles and teething toys belonging to Eden lay scattered, so she circled around the room lifting them and depositing them inside the playpen that Thranduil had purchased. While the baby was still too young to use it, in the meantime it served the purpose of being home to an ever-growing number of teddy bears and various other toys that magically materialised every day.

The shrill chirp from the house phone cut into her thoughts and she crossed the wooden floor to answer it.

“Hello,” she said as she lifted it to her ear, fully expecting Thranduil.

Silence.

“Hello?”

“You can’t hide from me,” a voice on the other end rasped in her ear.

Her blood turned to ice.

“I know where you are. I know where you live.”

Her fingers gripped the phone.

“I know that you’re going to pay for what you did,” the caller continued. His deep voice sent shudders through her body. “And soon. Your brat will be with me, and you’ll be out of the game. Very soon.”

Terrified, she couldn’t form words to answer if her life depended on it.

“Don’t think that your rich boyfriend will be able to protect you,” the caller said. “He’ll be disposed of just as easily as you. Make _no_ mistake about it. If he gets in my way, I’ll finish him too. I’ll hack his body into pieces and burn him with you.”

Her heart hammered viciously and she struggled to breathe.

“Soon, Kira… _very_ soon.”

The line clicked and went dead. She dropped the phone and her hands flew to her mouth. Her eyes darted around the expensively furnished room in a desperate attempt to ground herself. A thumping headache burst to life inside her skull and she was close to hyperventilating.

She whirled round in circles, then staggered back against the arm of the couch as tears of panic escaped and trickled down her cheeks.

She had to disappear.

Now.


	16. A Father's Rage

** CHAPTER SIXTEEN – A FATHER’S RAGE  **

Gravel crunched as the wheels of Thranduil’s car slowed down and brought the vehicle to a halt. Darkness had shrouded the city, and he shivered slightly as he stepped out onto the driveway and glanced up at the cloudless inky black sky above him. Millions of stars twinkled overhead, bringing a smile to his face.

Every time he looked up at the stars, he was reminded of his first meeting with Kira, after the plane crash.

_Kira._

His heart thumped and his smile broadened as he lifted his holdall from the back seat and closed the door. She had certainly changed his life, bringing with her not only their adorable daughter, but a renewed sense of energy and positivity that life was going to be alright again. Any doubts or reservations he’d had over the past had disappeared as she’d come back to him, and he’d openly embraced the changes as he’d let the past go.

His smile widened further as he climbed the few steps leading up to his home. The impressive double doors swung open as he pushed them, stepping into the hallway.

“Kira?” he called as he dropped his holdall onto the floor and closed the door. “Kira?”

The answering silence made him frown a little on confusion. He’d become accustomed to hearing some signs of life around the old farmhouse, be it Eden’s infectious giggle, Kira’s soft tones as she spoke to her, or the sound of music drifting from whichever room they were in.

He wandered along the ground floor, his confusion growing at finding the lower level in darkness.

Thinking that maybe either or both of them were tired and had gone to bed early, he climbed the stairs towards the upper floor. Again, he was met with silence and darkness. He switched the lights on as he went, and had an instantaneous feeling in his stomach that something had gone terribly wrong while he’d been at work.

He hesitated as he came to his bedroom, the room where he’d willingly welcomed Kira to spend her nights. The room where she’d accepted, and they’d spent the dark hours making love to one another and holding each other. Opening the door, he wasn’t surprised to find the room empty.

His eyes closed briefly and he turned to the next room, which was Eden’s. He opened the door and switched the light on.

Her crib lay empty.

His heart plummeted.

The house was desolate.

Kira had taken their child and abandoned him.

*****

In the cold, miserable living room of her old apartment, Kira sat cross-legged on the floor with her head in her hands. Eden was asleep on the quilt through in the shabby bedroom, having drifted off after much crying and fretting. She suspected her child was distraught at not having her father with her, but she’d managed to settle her after walking the floor with her for almost an hour and a half.

Hot tears burned her skin as she wept softly.

She’d been crazy enough – _stupid_ enough – to believe that her life was going to turn out for the best after accidentally walking back into Thranduil’s life. The prospects he’d presented for their baby were astronomical in comparison to anything she’d been able to offer, and deep within herself she felt guilty for depriving her of them. Luckily Eden was young enough that she wouldn’t remember him, and for that small fact, she was grateful.

Her heart was in pieces, nevertheless.

Eden _needed_ Thranduil, and he needed her just as much.

 _She_ needed him.

She’d missed him like nothing she’d ever been able to imagine, and her heart had broken as she’d gathered the few items she’d had when he’d taken them to his home. Anything that he’d bought and paid for had been left behind.

Clothes for her, clothes for their daughter, toys, and anything else he’d seen and purchased on a whim. The last thing she wanted was for him to think that she’d taken whatever she could get her hands on, as that hadn’t been the case.

Far from it.

The only things that she’d left behind that belonged to her were her heart and her soul.

Her tears flowed faster as she thought over the re-established bond with him. Long nights curled up beside him, his warm, naked body next to hers. His arms protectively around her. His long, silky hair caressing her skin. His hands tenderly caressing her. His full mouth gently kissing hers and exploring parts of her body that she’d never allowed another to. His eyes that captivated her and demanded a clear view into her mind and her soul. His easy, relaxed smile as they walked hand-in-hand. His arrogant smirk whenever he was proven correct on something. The subtle lift of one eyebrow if he called her bluff. His breathless gasps as they brought heaven to their bed.

Her chest heaved against the pain coursing through her as her cries of sorrow grew louder. If she’d thought that losing him before was difficult, this was going to be a hundred times harder.

She jumped and gasped in fright as the door of the apartment was violently booted open.

Thranduil stood in the doorway, a fuming six feet five tower of unadulterated rage and fury. Cold, angry eyes bored into hers. The set of his broad shoulders told her without words that he was beyond livid.

He strode into the room and slammed the door with an almighty bang, and she jumped again. Swiftly closing the distance between them, he gripped her upper arms and hauled her roughly to her feet.

“What the _fuck_ are you playing at?” he demanded.

“N…nothing,” she stammered through her tears. “I’m not playing at anything.”

“No? _No?_ I come home to an empty house, to find that you’ve picked up our child and disappeared, and you are playing at _nothing_?” he blasted.

“I…I…it’s not working out between us,” she stuttered. “I think-“

“I do not give a fuck _what_ you think,” he spat furiously. The grip on her arms tightened, his fingers digging painfully into her flesh. “I want to know what the hell’s going through your mind, Kira. And I want to know _now._ ”

She struggled to free herself, failing miserably. “Let me go!” she cried. “We’re better off apart, honestly. I can’t think while I’m living off your expense.”

“Bullshit,” he hissed. His ice blue eyes radiated flames of rage, just inches from her own as he towered over her. “And I have heard a shedload of bullshit in my time. And this has to be the ultimate in bullshit stories.”

“I’m serious,” she insisted. “I need to be on my own, by myself, to figure things out. I can’t do that while I’m with you.”

She cried out in pain as he shook her, hard.

“You come back into my life after twelve months of being completely invisible, present me with a child I never even knew existed, then fucking disappear again?” he roared incredulously. “And you think that’s _acceptable_?!”

“No! I never meant to hurt you! I never meant to hurt anybody!” she cried. “Thranduil, you’re hurting me! Let me go!”

“Why? So you can fuck off somewhere else?” he shouted. “Only a fool would have come back to the shithole they left! Did you not think that this would be the first place that I would look? Did you not think _at all_?!”

“Yes!” she screamed at him. “Yes! I did think! I thought about every fucking thing in my messed-up life!”

Her answer took him by surprise, and he blinked.

Sensing a break in his irate demeanour, she wrenched her arms free. “I did think,” she repeated in a more normal voice.

His nostrils flared as he stared at her, and for the first time, she saw through his anger to the hurt and pain underneath. Raw emotion shone through the rage in the depths of his eyes.

“It’s what’s best,” she said decidedly.

“For who? You? Eden? Me?” A snort followed his words. “Listen to yourself, Kira. You haven’t been honest with me from the start, and you can’t tell me that you have. I’ve known all along that you were keeping something from me – you’ve been skittish and jumpy, nothing like the woman I met a year ago.”

“People change,” she snapped in defence. “Being alone all that time can do that to a person.”

He swooped down so he was a hair’s breadth from her face. “Then why have I not changed likewise?” he demanded. “Why have I not become secretive and bitter? Deceptive and shadowed? I too was alone for the year that we were parted, it was not only you. Granted, you came through having Eden alone, but I too suffered. But that means little to you at this point in time.” He stood back to his full height, glaring down his nose at her. “Perhaps you only toyed with me to see if your memory was as good as you thought it was. Perhaps you were indeed looking to gain, but had a change of heart.”

She shook her head, her tears flowing fast and hard. “No,” she sobbed. “No! It wasn’t like that!”

“Then what was it?” he roared, furious again. “What was it that brought you back into my life, gave me my daughter, brought you into my bed, only to pack up and leave again as soon as my back is turned?! Tell me, Kira, because right now nothing makes sense!”

She shrunk back from the rage that flowed from him. “You wouldn’t understand,” she whispered. “Just walk away and leave things as they are.”

One eyebrow lifted in a silent, dangerous warning. “You would take my child from me,” he said softly. Another sign of a warning. “You would purposefully wrench my child from my life.”

She swallowed, trying to regroup her control.

“Like hell!” he yelled. His closed fist smashed against the wall beside her head, and she screamed.

“Thranduil, no!” she pleaded as he pivoted and stormed towards the bedroom. “Please, Thranduil! Please!!”

He ignored her as he threw the door open and dropped to a squat on the floor. Quickly scooping his sleeping baby into his arms, he rose and stalked back through to the living room.

Kira was sobbing hysterically, begging him not to take her.

He refused to answer as he headed to the door and yanked it open with one hand. He bent down and lifted something out of her line of vision, and turned back inside with the car seat which he threw onto the worktop. Eden was placed into the seat with care, and he quickly fastened the harness around her.

“Thranduil! Don’t take her from me!” she cried, clutching his arm with both hands. “Please, do anything to me but don’t take her!”

Her pleas fell on deaf ears as he shrugged her off, arranging the soft fleecy pink blanket over the sleeping child and tucking it around her.

As quick as a flash, he turned and grabbed Kira, throwing her over one shoulder. His right arm anchored around the back of her knees and he lifted the car seat with his left.

“Oh my God, let me go,” she sobbed. “Please, Thranduil, let me go!”

“Will I hell,” he snarled. “I will not sit back while you destroy my life.”

Heartfelt crying filtered through the haze of his anger as he stormed out of the apartment, not bothering to close the door. Somehow, the anguish in her sobs picked through his rage as he strode along the dirty, littered hallway towards the stairs.

“If I were you, I would not wriggle and struggle as much,” he commanded. “These stairs are a fucking hazard as it is, without you adding to the dangers while I am carrying our child.”

His words sunk in and she quietened. He felt her fight to keep her crying to a minimum, to keep still as he carried both of them down flight after flight of stairs in silence.

Outside, the cold air hit her with an icy blast as he booted open the main door of the building. He didn’t break his stride until he reached his car, where he set Eden down on the sidewalk and opened the rear passenger door. Leaning forwards, he tipped Kira onto the back seat, where she landed unceremoniously in a heap. The door slammed after her.

Blurred eyes that burned from crying followed him as he walked around the vehicle and climbed in the front. His seat shot back to give him room as he lifted the car seat over the steering wheel, and he fastened it into the seat beside him before adjusting his own again.

“Put your seat belt on,” he ordered.

The engine started, and she silently complied. Her body trembled as she cast her gaze to the buildings as they pulled away, and her tears continued to fall.

Thranduil remained stoic and silent as he drove. Several times he glanced at her in his rear view mirror, only to see her curled up on the seat facing the door. The dead look in her eyes as she gazed out of the window unnerved him.

She was a fighter by nature, and had come through a lot. What was she not telling him? What had she purposefully kept secret since coming back into his life? What on earth had happened to make her tuck her tail in and run from him, from the shelter, safety, and security that he provided? The love and affection that he bestowed on her, on their daughter?

His hands gripped the steering wheel as he drove, his jaw clenched tightly. Street lights flashed past his unseeing eyes as the miles disappeared under his wheels. Dark buildings loomed up and vanished, the powerful car tearing past them. Although he was driving fast, Kira never once thought that they were at risk; he was an efficient driver with razor-sharp reflexes and responses.

His eyes flicked to the mirror again. She remained curled away from him with one hand up at her mouth and her other arm tucked over her abdomen in a sign of comfort. The rapid banging of his heartbeat was beginning to ease as the distance between the vehicle and his home lessened. His temper was gradually subsiding, although still volatile.

But the edge had been taken off.

Before long, the farmhouse appeared and the car swung round to a stop right outside the door.

Thranduil switched the engine off and unfastened the seat belt which had held the car seat securely for the journey, lifting his precious child. His tall form eased out and his door slammed.

Kira’s door was wrenched open.

“Get out of the car,” he commanded her, his tone flat and emotionless.

She dared not disobey, and slid silently to her feet on the gravel. He turned and made his way up the steps to the house, so she followed him. Once inside, he tossed the car keys onto the couch and wordlessly headed upstairs still with Eden in the car seat. He knew that she wouldn’t take the car and run, not without their child.

By the time he settled the little one into her crib and went back downstairs, she was standing next to the huge fish tank, staring at the multitude of different coloured fish. Her arms were folded defensively over her chest and her head was lowered slightly. Her shoulders tilted forward a little, indicating that she was beaten, worn down.

He swiped the car keys and pocketed them, solely to remove temptation should it strike. A cold, hard look from him followed as he went into the kitchen, and she shuddered at the venom in his eyes.

“If you wish a coffee, then you will have to come through for it,” he called. “I am not running after you like a slave. I will run after my child, but not you.”

She jumped as a cupboard door banged, and took a deep breath as she traced his steps from the lounge into the kitchen. He filled the kettle and aggressively thumped it onto the base unit to boil. Two mugs clattered onto the worktop, followed by the sugar and the coffee.

Unsure how to proceed, she stayed silent, waiting for him to say or do something. The kettle seemed to take forever to boil, and the tense atmosphere became more and more difficult to breathe in.

He stood with his back presented to her, ramrod straight, his arms folded as he waited. His jaw clenched and unclenched a hundred times as his icy gaze focused on the damned appliance that seemed to take forever to do what it was designed for.

“You owe me one hell of an explanation,” he said finally.

She swallowed. He still hadn’t moved.

“I’ve had time to think,” she answered after a slight hesitation. “I’m not happy.”

Silence.

“In what way?”

She blinked, caught unawares by his demanding question. “I…just don’t feel that it’s working out between us.”

He pivoted sharply, his hard stare pinning her where she stood without the need to touch her. “I assumed differently. Explain. Enlighten me.”

Again, she was lost for words. She heaved a sigh and dragged one hand through her hair. “I’m not happy,” she said finally.

Cold, angry eyes stared at her. “You have everything that you could ever wish for, right at your fingertips,” he told her after considering her words, his voice hard and bitter. “A safe environment for your child. No need to worry about feeding either yourself or her. Warmth. Comfort. Security. Someone on hand practically around the clock to help you if you need it. That someone who has told you on several occasions that he is madly in love with you.”

She blinked away the tears that threatened to fall once more.

“Yet still you throw everything in my face,” he said softly. “I can only wonder why.” His back turned to her once more as the kettle finally boiled, and he prepared the coffee. One mug was set down on the table, situated between them. Although only a few feet, it seemed like miles.

One arm crossed over his abdomen and he rested the elbow of his other arm on his hand, his thumb and forefinger propped against his chin as he studied her.

“Have you met someone else?”

She shook her head. “No. That’s ridiculous.”

“What’s ridiculous is what you’re doing,” he corrected her. “Ridiculous to yourself, to me, and to our daughter, who might I remind you, is innocent in this whole clusterfuck of a situation.”

A shudder rippled down her spine as his anger once more bled into his voice.

“Our child was living in squalor,” he continued, pushing himself away from the worktop with a nudge of his hip. His voice had quietened. Slow, deliberate steps carried him towards her. “In a filthy, dangerous building. No heating. Hardly any food. With a mother who was on her knees financially and emotionally. Yet you made the choice to take her back to that.” Coming to a stop in front of her, he stared down his nose at her. “Now why would a mother who worships her child do such a thing?”

Her lower lip trembled, his sharp gaze homing in on it.

“I didn’t make the choice,” she whispered.

She jumped and squealed as he moved at speed, his tall frame towering over hers as he practically snarled down at her.

“I do not see anyone _else_ in a position to make that choice!” he hissed.

Tears escaped and began trailing down her cheeks. “He’ll take Eden away from me,” she cried. “I’ll never see her again! He’ll kill me and take her away!”

“Who will?” he roared.

“My twin brother!” she screamed at him.

Thranduil reeled back – stunned.


	17. A Lover's Compassion

** CHAPTER SEVENTEEN – A LOVER’S COMPASSION **

Thranduil’s eyes were huge as he gazed down into Kira’s, which were overflowing with tears.

“Your twin brother?” he repeated in a shocked whisper. “What are you talking about?” His eyes searched hers, confusion blatantly clear in the depths as he hunted for some reasoning behind what she’d just said. “Kira, what the hell’s going on?”

She dragged a shaky breath in. “My twin,” she repeated in a whisper through her tears. “He’s…it’s a long story…I…” She trailed off as everything became too much for her.

Strong hands gripped her upper arms as her knees gave way beneath her. One hand moved and she felt herself being swept up into his arms and cradled against his chest. The kitchen blurred and began to darken as she lost consciousness.

By the time she regained awareness, she found herself lying on her side on the couch with her spine pressed against the back. Thranduil was sitting next to her abdomen, one long leg crossed over the other, and one arm resting on the back of the sofa above her. Thoughtful eyes regarded her as she blinked and focused on his.

“You have to tell me everything,” he said. His voice was calm and controlled, showing no signs of the explosion he’d shown previously. “I cannot do anything if I don’t know what it is that you are running from.”

She closed her eyes and turned her head away, but warm fingers gently but firmly turned her back to face him.

“You cannot run forever,” he said quietly. “Talk to me. Tell me what’s scaring you so much, this brother of yours. I assumed that you were an only child.”

“I wish I was,” she whispered.

He waited patiently. “What happened?”

The silence seemed to last forever. “Kyle is my twin,” she said eventually. “He’s younger than me by three minutes.”

He uncrossed his legs and shifted slightly to ease cramped muscles.

“We were at each other’s throats from the start, we never got on. There was so much rivalry between us when we were growing up,” she said. Her gaze was fixed on a blank spot on the wall behind him. “I was so close to our dad; so close. Maybe it’s because I was a girl, I don’t know, but he was always so protective over me. We went everywhere together, did everything together. I could talk to him about anything and everything. I could do no wrong in his eyes, nor he in mine.”

A few seconds passed before Thranduil spoke. “You were extremely lucky to have that strength between you,” he said. “Although Eden has not been in my life for all that long, I too feel that protective love for her. I would walk through fire for her, I would die for her. A father’s love is often underrated because it is not us who carry and deliver the child. But the love is just as strong as a mother’s.”

Her eyes moved to his as she heard the tinge of sadness in his words. “My mother never had that bond with me,” she said. “She was bitter. Nothing I did was good enough. She doted on Kyle. But all he wanted was our dad’s affections.”

“Tell me why you ran with our child,” he said softly.

She took a deep breath as she collected herself. “The night my dad died…it was in the middle of winter. I’d gone to a friend’s for a study group. Exams were coming up, and we were going over the tutorials for the biology course. There was about six or seven of us.” She stopped, and he knew by her eyes that she’d gone back in time to that night. “A couple of us started arguing – I can’t even remember what it was about, to be honest. It turned pretty vicious, and my friend’s mother went nuts. She tossed us all out, told us she wasn’t having us over to study if we were going to fight and cause a disruption in her home.”

He nodded a little. “I had a similar issue when Legolas brought home some classmates a few years ago,” he murmered. “I called their parents and told them to haul arse and pick their degenerate offspring up before I kicked their backsides out of my house.”

Kira pulled herself into a sitting position and drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. He budged over a little to accommodate her move. “I called my dad and asked him to come and pick me up,” she said. “He was in the middle of rebuilding the engine of the old jeep he’d been working on for months, but he dropped everything and headed out. It was dark, cold, icy…”

He sighed softly, instinctively knowing where this was going. “He never made it,” he said, and looked at her. Silent tears were streaming down her cheeks, and she gulped air in.

“He didn’t. He was blindsided by a truck. He died on impact.” Her voice was little more than a whisper. “He wasn’t supposed to be out that night. We were all supposed to car pool with one of the other parents. But he came out the minute I called him.”

“And you blame yourself.”

“To a degree, yes. But Kyle and my mother took it to another level,” she told him. “She turned her back and never spoke to me afterwards. Kyle went off his head and attacked me, but I beat the shit out of him.”

A heavy silence filled the room.

“But he grew. He filled out. He became stronger than me. I had to leave for my own good within the year. I knew he’d kill me one day.”

“Your mother never stepped in?”

She shook her head and dragged the back of one hand over her cheeks. “No. She ignored it. Maybe she thought I deserved it. Maybe I did.”

“No, you didn’t,” he said. “What happened was a tragic accident, Kira. You have been carrying this around all these years, and your guilt is misplaced. The blame lies with the truck driver, not with you.”

She scoffed to herself. “No. It lies with me. I should never have called him, made him come out that night,” she said. “It’s my fault he’s dead, and my family wouldn’t let me forget that.”

Unable to help himself, he lifted a hand and gently rubbed her tears away with his thumb. “So what happened?” he asked.

“Kyle wouldn’t leave me alone,” she whispered. “Everywhere I went, he showed up. Tormented me. Threatened me. Attacked me. He cut the brake lines of my car. He tried to run me over. He petrol-bombed the apartment I rented a few blocks away from where I was working. I was constantly on the move, trying to keep one step ahead of him.”

Thranduil breathed steadily through his nose as he processed his thoughts. “Did you never go to the police?”

“A hundred times,” she said. Her voice was so quiet, he strained to hear her. “But they could never find proof that he was stalking me. They thought I was just a stupid female with an overactive imagination. Even after the apartment was torched, they put it down to some random gang violence. Nobody took me serious. I moved state three times, changed my name, and each time he tracked me down. He really flipped when he found out I was pregnant with Eden.”

“Is that why you were beyond petrified that I would take her?” he asked, turning his ice blue gaze to her. “Did he threaten to take her?”

“Yes.” Streams of tears cascaded down her cheeks. “He called me at the refuge, told me he’d kill me and keep her. That he’d maybe let her live, maybe not. He’s sick, Thranduil. He’s really sick.”

The muscle in his cheek clenched as he clenched his teeth. “That is not sick,” he said. “That is twisted; evil; beyond sick. A human being putting anyone through that is bad and bad enough, but to threaten the welfare of a baby is the lowest.”

Sniffing hard, she turned her head sideways and leaned her cheek against her knee. “I can’t keep going like this,” she whispered.

His eyes flicked back to her.

“He’ll catch up with me one day if I slow down. I can’t let him have Eden.” Her eyes had closed.

“He will not have her,” he stated. “And I will move hell on earth to ensure that he does not.”

“You can’t stop him,” she said softly. “He’s like that movie – like a Terminator. He won’t stop until I’m dead.”

Thranduil rose from the couch and walked over to the massive window, where he stood with his arms folded. She gazed at his strong shoulders, the straight set of his back, his long hair tumbling down his shirt.

An age passed before he spoke.

“Why did you run this morning?”

“He called me here,” she answered. “I don’t know how he got the number, how he found me. But he told me I can run but I’ll never be able to hide from him. I saw him in the shopping complex the day we went shopping for a pram. He saw me too.”

His hair flowed around his upper arms as he burled around to face her. A deep frown emphasised the vertical crease between his eyebrows. “Why did you not speak to me of this?” he asked. “Why did you not tell me?”

“Because after we were rescued, I never thought I’d see you again. But I did, and I’d never felt so contented, so safe. Eden had the chance to bond with you, and you with her. Neither of you deserve any of this shit, Thranduil. Neither of you. My past is mine to live with, not yours. I honestly didn’t think that Kyle would find me this time. I thought that our child could have a secure family; both parents who doted on her and would do the best they could by her. That’s why I gave in and let you get close again.”

“And it never occurred to you to part with any of this?”

“I just wanted to move on and forget it,” she said in a soft voice. “I wanted a normal life, and a normal life for Eden.”

“But you ran. That is not giving her a normal life,” he told her. “The more you run, the more he will chase after you. He is a predator – he gets his kicks from making you fear him.”

“I had no choice!” she cried, her voice rising. “It’s not only me who’s at risk, Thranduil! He’s going after you too!”

His eyes darkened as he unfolded his arms and stepped away from the window in her direction. “What do you mean?”

She shook her head and buried her face against her arms, still folded around her knees.

“Kira. Kira! What do you mean?”

Strong hands gripped her shoulders and forced her to look at him as he lowered his weight to squat beside the couch. The heartbroken look in her eyes physically took his breath away.

She repeated the threat her brother had given her that morning. “I can’t let you get dragged into this,” she ended on a broken whisper. “You’re too good a person, Thranduil. You’ve got a heart of gold and you’re a loving, dependable guy. You didn’t ask for any of this; I can’t let you go through this.”

“That is not your choice to make,” he told her firmly. “Goddammit, Kira – I fucking _love_ you! And our child! Do you honestly think I can stand back and watch this beast destroy you even further??”

She shook her head in determination. “The day we set foot on that plane…nobody could have expected us to end up here…like this,” she said. “You have a neat, tidy, organised life…you don’t need this…this _shit_ …destroying everything you’ve worked hard to build around you. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, and _especially_ not you. Can’t you understand?”

“Can’t you understand how much you and Eden mean to me?” he stressed. “Jesus Christ, Kira…you’re my world! My heart was broken when we parted! To have you back again was the answer to every dream, every wish that I’ve ever made! And to discover that we created a child together..? You have _no_ idea, my love…no idea…”

Her head lowered as she crumbled, and he tugged her towards his body. Strong arms slid around her and held her as she shook and trembled against him.

“You have been alone for far too long,” he whispered, placing a gentle kiss to the top of her head. “But you are no longer alone. I promise. I will get you through this.”

“I thought you were taking Eden,” she sobbed. Her hands clutched fistfuls of his shirt.

“No. I would never take her; I have told you this. I merely needed you to see sense, to rethink what you were doing,” he replied. “I promised you when I learned of her existence that I would never separate you, and I never will. I only needed to break through the wall you’d built around yourself and let me in. There was no logical explanation as to why you’d ran off with her.”

She turned her face in against his chest, breathing deeply and absorbing his aroma, his strength. “I’m scared,” she mumbled against him.

Warm hands rubbed her back reassuringly. “Nothing will happen, I promise,” he said softly. “You and Eden are safe here, my darling. This house has a military-grade security system; no-one can get in here without my knowing. Your brother will not get anywhere near you.”

“You must hate me,” she whispered.

“Why? Because you are scared out of your wits? Terrified beyond belief? Following your instinct to protect the lives of yourself and our child? No, my love. I do not hate you. I don’t agree with what you were doing, but I certainly don’t hate you. I love you. I always have, and I know that I always will,” he replied.

She lifted her head and gazed up into his eyes. Eyes that radiated truth and honesty. His inner thoughts seemed to show in the ice blue depths, open and clear for her to read.

One large hand moved and cupped the side of her face. “I love you,” he repeated in a husky whisper. “With all my heart and soul, I love you.”

Her eyes drifted closed as he closed the gap between them and touched his mouth to hers in a kiss so soft and full of promise, reassurance, and love.

“I love you too, Thranduil,” she whispered back. “I’m sorry for running, for taking Eden and running out on you. I shouldn’t have done that.”

He shook his head as he gently caressed her cheek. “Do not think about it,” he told her. “When did you leave today?”

She frowned in confusion. “Probably around quarter to ten, or thereabouts,” she answered. “Why?”

“Have you eaten since then?”

Her cheeks burned under his scrutinising gaze.

He sighed wearily, dropping his hand. “You haven’t,” he decided. “Kira…Kira…when will you start taking care of yourself?” His tone was almost pleading. “You cannot neglect yourself, my darling. Go and have a bath, put your pyjamas on, and I will make you something to eat. Please.”

“Don’t go to any trouble,” she begged him.

He scowled. “If you do not do as I have requested, then believe me, my love – I _will_ throw you over my shoulder, carry you upstairs, toss you in the bath and bathe you myself,” he warned. “You are cold. You are exhausted. You need pampering, and I _am_ going to do so. Now scoot.”

He turned her and playfully swatted her backside, giving her no other option than to follow his order.

“Fine,” she said as she crossed the floor to the doorway. “I won’t be long.”

“Take as much time as you need,” he replied over his shoulder.

The sound of cupboards and drawers being opened and closed drifted up the stairs after her as she climbed them, weariness in her steps. Thranduil was right – she _was_ exhausted. Mentally and physically. But for some reason, finally confiding in him and telling him about her fleeing from Kyle felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. They didn’t feel so heavy anymore, and she could breathe easier. She didn’t want to admit it, but part of her was glad her secret had finally come out into the open.

Twenty minutes later, the bathroom door opened and the towering blonde appeared with two cups of coffee.

“I thought you might like your coffee while you relax,” he said, lowering his weight to sit on the floor beside the bath.

Kira smiled as she reached out from the bubbles to take one from him. “Thankyou,” she said. The sea of fragrant bubbles shifted as she moved.

“How do you feel?” he asked.

“A little better,” she admitted sheepishly.

“I wish you had told me about all this a lot earlier, my darling,” he said, sipping his coffee. “Perhaps I could have put your mind at rest there and then, instead of you fearing for your life and feeling like you had to run.”

“I know, I _should_ have said something,” she agreed. “But I came back into your life with a ready-made baby and everything; I didn’t want to put more on you than I already had.”

“You did not put _anything_ on me. I readily accepted you both, with open arms if I remember correctly,” he reasoned. “Kira, this isn’t just a casual relationship – at least, it isn’t to me. What we have between us is something that I want to work on, add to, let it grow and flourish. Am I alone in this?”

Her eyes burned as she felt tears gathering. “No,” she whispered. “I want that too. But you’re far too special a man to be put through-“

Her words were cut off abruptly as he shot to his knees and wrapped his free hand around the back of her neck, tugging her towards him and crushing her mouth with his own.

“I will take on board anything that comes our way,” he whispered raggedly. “I wish for us to build a life together, a secure future for our daughter. Memories that we can sit back in years to come and reflect on. Perhaps add to our family, depending on what your thoughts are on that later on.”

He angled his head and gently kissed away the tear that escaped and trickled down her cheek.

“No more tears, my darling, not unless they are happy ones. Now – you have ten minutes to finish up in here before the food is ready,” he told her. “I will leave you in peace and shout up when I am ready to serve, ok?” A tender smile followed as he gazed at her. “I love you.”

“I love you so much more,” she whispered.

He smirked as he hoisted himself to his feet and turned away. “No, you don’t.”

The bathroom door clicked closed behind him.


	18. Strategies And Plans

** CHAPTER EIGHTEEN – STRATEGIES AND PLANS **

Kira sighed in her sleep as she rolled against a warm, hard body. Her senses gradually became aware of Thranduil tucked in at the back of her, one arm tightly around her waist, one leg wrapped around hers, and the _very_ large erection that pressed tightly against her buttocks.

The erection that throbbed and twitched.

“Thranduil?” she murmered sleepily.

“Mmm,” he murmered back. “Go back to sleep.”

She rolled over to face him and snuggled against his warm, bare chest. “I don’t want to,” she whispered. A soft kiss touched his skin. A deep rumble echoed from the depths of his chest, and the hard flesh pressed against her stomach throbbed more. His arms tightened around her and his hands splayed across the breadth of her back.

“You should go back to sleep.”

She kissed higher up his chest and pulled herself up. Her mouth moved along the smooth skin of his neck. “I don’t want to.”

His upper torso expanded against the swell of her breasts as he inhaled deeply. “It is late,” he mumbled. “You have had a long, stressful day, sweetheart.”

“And I know exactly what will help me unwind,” she whispered into his ear. “I need you.”

His breath left him with a soft hiss as her tongue traced around the shell of his ear, and a tremor snaked up his spine.

“You want me too,” she continued in the same seductive tone.

“You know I do,” he growled, and swiftly rolled her over so she was pinned beneath him against the bed. “I always want you.” His hips rocked against her to emphasise his words, and she smiled as she tugged him down to kiss him.

Their mouths merged in a heated kiss full of hunger and passion as their tongues danced with each other’s. Her legs parted allowing him to settle his weight in between, and she whimpered as his leaking tip brushed against her. She tangled her fingers in his long hair, twisting her head slightly to deepen the kiss even further. Her hips lifted a little in silent encouragement, begging without words for him to enter her.

He complied.

“Oh my God…” she whispered breathlessly, tearing her mouth from his. She gazed up at him in the darkness, just able to make out his form and no more. Her fingers left his hair and trailed down his cheeks towards his mouth, which he opened and sucked gently on two fingertips. The feeling of his hot, wet mouth made her insides contract sharply, drawing a hiss from him as she clenched around him. Her knees lifted on either side of him and drew him deeper into her heat. The silky bedsheet slid down his back and twisted around his upper thighs as they rolled over.

Kira braced her hands on his shoulders and rocked her hips. Her head tilted back and she groaned in intense pleasure as he probed deep within her. His large hands slid down her neck and settled over her breasts, taking the weight of them as she moved.

“Yes…like that, baby,” he whispered. “Oh good God yessssss…”

She circled her hips as she drove downwards and flexed her fingers, aware of the sensations that were firing off in every direction of her body. Bursts of pleasure, tingling nerve endings, and surges of lust shot through her, making her toes curl and her back arch into his touch.

“Faster, my darling,” he panted breathlessly. “Ride me faster.”

Her head dipped forwards as she responded, her long hair splaying over his chest. He inhaled sharply as the silken tresses caressed his sensitised skin and trailed over him as she moved. Soft grunts and moans filled the dark room. Hands wandered and caressed. Fingers probed and teased. Cries of passion sounded. Muscles tensed. Hot, hungry kisses and frantic thrusts carried both of them deeper into a cocoon of heat and flame.

“Turn over,” he gasped suddenly. Strong hands lifted her and gently deposited her beside him, and he shifted down the bed behind her.

She inhaled deeply as his hands gripped her hips and lifted her rear, and braced her weight on her hands. Thranduil balanced his weight on his left knee and settled his right foot on the covers before plunging hard into her.

She howled in pleasure at the invasion. “Fuck…again,” she gasped.

Keeping a firm hold on her hips, he pulled back until he was almost free, then plunged back in again.

She howled again. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” she panted. “Oh fuckkkk…”

Hard, rapid thrusts followed, each one accompanied by moans and cries as he hit home. Her body flexed and clenched around him as she pushed back to meet each forward push, and his fingers dug into her flesh hard enough to leave bruises.

She didn’t care.

She lost all sense of time and place as she took everything he had to give. Her knees began to slide on the bedsheet with the force of his pounding. He tugged her a little higher without breaking his pace and fucked her faster. Soft strands of his long hair swept over her lower back as he moved, and she instinctively squirmed in response.

“Thranduil,” she cried. “Thranduil, I’m coming…oh fuck Thranduil, I’m coming!”

Harsh pants and grunts sounded from behind her as he pushed her closer to completion, and a guttural scream ripped from her throat as her orgasm tore through her. Her body went into convulsions as everything imploded around her, and only his firm grip kept her from collapsing. He leaned his head back and growled from the pit of his soul as he exploded, his hot fluid pumping deep inside her clenching body. His climax seemed to go on and on as he emptied everything he had into her.

The mattress bounced as the couple collapsed heavily onto it, both gasping to breathe and shaken to their souls.

Neither of them spoke for a long time.

Neither of them had the power of speech.

Eventually, he lifted himself up onto his elbows and pressed gentle kissed between her shoulder blades. His lips could feel the thundering beat of her heart through her back as it pounded furiously. “Are you alright, my darling?” he whispered.

She nodded against the pillow. “Hmm,” she murmered. “You?”

He chuckled softly as he slowly withdrew. Her body clamped around him in protest. “You will be sore if I stay in this position for too long,” he reasoned.

She grumbled half-heartedly and shifted slightly to ease his withdrawal. “But it feels _so_ fucking good…”

He smiled and turned her over onto her back. She could feel his eyes searching her face in the darkness.

“Now will you sleep?” he teased.

She laughed. “Yes. And so will you,” she responded. “Although how we didn’t wake Eden, I’ll never know. She must be in a really deep sleep for her not to have heard that.”

His weight shifted again as he leaned over the bed and peered into the crib. “She’s out for the count,” he said quietly. Rolling back over, he slid one arm underneath her shoulders and tugged her close. A tender kiss touched her forehead, and she sighed in contentment.

Her steady breathing slowed within a few minutes, and she fell asleep, safe in his arms.

*****

Legolas grinned as he tossed his rucksack onto the kitchen table. “You really ought to have supper before bedtime, Dad,” he chuckled.

Thranduil lifted one eyebrow but said nothing as he glared at his offspring.

Kira pulled her mouth in and self-consciously rubbed at the bite mark he’d left on her neck during their lovemaking through the night.

“Ignore him, my darling,” he drawled. “Jealousy takes on many forms…does it not, my son?”

The younger blonde laughed heartily. “Hey, who says I’m foot-loose and fancy free?” he shot back. “I might have a love interest myself.”

“Tauriel,” Kira said without thinking.

He blushed scarlet and ducked his head.

Thranduil’s gaze darted from him to her and back again, then he laughed. “Seriously?”

“Shut up,” Legolas mumbled. He grabbed the coffee his father slid towards him and dropped his weight into a seat by the table, feigning interest in the dark liquid.

Kira couldn’t keep the grin off her face at Thranduil’s amused chuckle. “Don’t tease him,” she said.

“Me? I am not the one pointing out what other people get up to in the privacy of their own homes,” he responded. “Am I, Legolas?”

“Why did I even come over here for this,” he muttered. “Where’s my sister? At least I can get sense out of her.”

“She’s having a wee sleep,” she told him.

He grunted in mock annoyance. “Why did you ask me to come over anyway?” he directed at his father, who was skilfully chopping carrots. “What are we having, a gang meeting or something?”

“Of sorts,” Thranduil replied, lifting his eyes briefly before lowering them back to his task. “I’ve asked a few people over this afternoon. There are some issues which I need to air and find solutions to.”

“Sounds ominous.”

“Yes. Ominous is a mild word,” he said. “Deadly serious would be a more fitting description; emphasis on the deadly.”

Legolas looked to Kira, whose gaze lowered to the table in front of her.

“What’s going on?” he asked, turning back to his father.

“Wait until the others arrive,” he answered. “I do not wish to have to repeat myself over and over as everyone gets here, only to keep going back and starting from the beginning again. Sweetheart, I think Eden is awake…would you check?”

“Sure,” she said, and swiftly rose to her feet.

Legolas eyed her as she left the room. “Dad…what’s going on?” he asked.

Ice blue eyes met his as Thranduil slid the carrot from the chopping board into the pan on the cooker. “Something that I truly wish wasn’t,” he sighed.

Both males glanced towards the doorway as boisterous laughter and hooting drifted towards them.

“Thorin, Fili, Kili, Bofur, Dwalin?” the younger male guessed with a grin.

Thranduil rolled his eyes. “Yes. And the usual uproar that accompanies them,” he muttered. “Come in guys, make yourselves at home.”

The hollering grew louder and spilled into the kitchen as the five friends made their entrance.

“Afternoon, Boss,” Bofur greeted him with his usual enthusiasm. “Where are the lovely Lady of the house and the sweetest little Princess this side of Venus?”

“Right here, Bofur,” Kira answered as she came back through with her daughter snuggled in her arms. The little one caught sight of her father and began wriggling impatiently.

“Two seconds, my precious,” he said, washing his hands and drying them before taking her. “Oh let me see you, sweet-cheeks.”

Thorin smirked as he helped himself to a bottle of beer from the fridge, his eyes on the youngest Oropherion. Her little legs kicked in excitement and she squeaked in glee as her father took her into his arms. “That girl has you wrapped so tightly around her little finger, I’m surprised you can even breathe,” he remarked, gesturing with the neck of the bottle. “And I have to say…you’ve never looked happier.”

Thranduil grinned over at him. “Who’s still to come?” he asked. Behind him, Kira moved to put the kettle on and make coffee for those who chose not to have beer.

“Bombur. Running late as per bloody usual,” Dwalin grunted. He leaned over and tickled underneath Eden’s chin, and she gurgled at him. “He’s probably stopped off somewhere to feed his face.”

“I assume this is about work?” Thorin asked.

The towering blonde shook his head. “No. This is something very personal that I need your help with,” he replied.

His guests exchanged looks.

“You know we’ll do anything we can to help you,” Kili piped up. “What exactly do you need us for?”

Heads turned as the door slammed closed, presenting a waddling Bombur armed with snacks. Several packets of chips slid from his grasp as he approached the table, and a jar of dip shot free. It smashed onto the wooden floor, sending shards of glass and a spray of sauce in all directions.

Collective groans echoed around the room.

*****

Thorin sat back and lifted his right ankle over his left knee, folding his arms as he frowned at his host. “I think you need someone else’s input on this, Thran,” he said after a few moments silence. “While I do not doubt a single vowel that you have uttered, there is one major thing missing.”

“Evidence,” Fili said quietly.

“Without it, all you have is a theory,” Thorin said.

“Kira, you filed police complaints, right?” Kili asked, and Thranduil nodded for her. “So there must be at least a paper trail to account for everything that he did to you. If we can tag up on that and follow it up, it has to count for something.”

“I would suggest recording all your telephone calls,” Dwalin spoke up.

Thranduil sighed softly and rested his chin on the top of Kira’s head. She sat on the floor, snug between his thighs which closed protectively around her. His forearms rested on her shoulders. “I will not sit back and wait for something to happen,” he said.

Legolas slowly swayed with his sister in his arms, who’d fallen asleep tucked against his chest. “Would it help if you guys came to stay with me for a while?” he suggested.

“No.” His father shook his head. “There is good security on the campus, but not good enough. The surveillance system I have here is more advanced. And I will not put innocent students at risk.”

“How about I stay here with you for a while then?”

“Holy shit, this is getting out of hand,” Kira said in frustration. “It was only me who was at risk. Then me and Eden. Then me, Eden, and Thranduil. If you do that, it’ll be the four of us.”

“But there is safety in numbers, my love,” he said above her. “It might not be such a bad idea, for a short while at least.”

“Don’t worry, old man – I won’t cramp your style,” Legolas grinned.

A ripple of laughter circulated.

“You have no chance of that,” he informed him in a dry tone.

“Do you want me to make the call?” Thorin asked, drawing the conversation back to the matter at hand. “I can have him on this within the hour. All you have to do is say.”

“You know my opinion of the old fool,” Thranduil replied. “And his of me. However…desperate circumstances call for desperate measures. Yes. Make the call. Tell him I will pay whatever price he demands. I need closure on this; I need for my family to be safe.”

The dark haired man nodded once. “Consider it done,” he said. “And if I know the ornery old git, he’ll jump at the chance to stop somebody as bad as this Kyle guy.”

A slight shudder streaked up Kira’s back at the mention of her brother’s name, and Thranduil kissed the top of her head in silent response.

*****

“So who’s this _ornery old git_?”

Ice blue eyes slid over to meet hers as she leaned on the back of the couch with her arms folded, a smile on her face. He sighed.

“He’s an old acquaintance,” Thranduil replied. “He and I go back a long way; many years. I have known him probably most of my life.”

“So what’s the problem with him?”

“There is no problem. He is merely…how can I put it…stuck in his ways? He has some strange opinions on things, and has a gift of rubbing me up the wrong way.”

She shifted her weight onto one leg. “But if he can help us, isn’t that a good thing?”

“Yes,” he admitted, switching the television off with the touch of a button. “I just have to watch my temper with him and accept that he thinks differently, that’s all. No mean feat, I can assure you.”

Her smile widened to a grin.

“Hey Dad,” Legolas called from the top of the stairs. “Can I invite Tauriel over for dinner?”

“I do not see why not,” his father called back. “Is she staying over?”

A rush of stuttering drifted down the stairs, making Kira laugh.

“You’re mean,” she chortled. “You torment the life out of him. What’s wrong with him having a girlfriend?”

“Not a thing,” he shot back. “It just opens up the door for some friendly, teasing banter, that is all. He does not mind. You should have heard him in years past if I became involved with a member of the opposite sex. Believe me – what I am giving him is nothing in comparison.”

Kira narrowed her eyes playfully. “Did you have many _involvements_ with members of the opposite sex?” she teased.

Serious eyes looked at her dead-on. “I have told you that I did not live the life of a monk,” he replied. “However, that being said, I was certainly not promiscuous. I can count on the fingers of one hand how many lovers I have taken. And you, my darling, are on that same hand. Come here.” He extended an arm towards her.

She leaned off the couch and walked around it, coming to a stop in front of him. A yelp sounded as he grabbed her waist and tugged her forwards, so she ended up on his lap with her knees on either side of him.

“No-one has ever touched my heart and soul the way that you have,” he whispered. Both large hands burned her flesh through the thin fabric of her leggings. “And no-one ever could. You have something unidentifiable, something I cannot fathom. I was drawn to you right from the beginning, and I have never felt such a strong attraction. It still mystifies me.”

She linked her hands together at the back of his neck. “I would agree that you did likewise to me,” she told him. “I was stunned when I first set eyes on you. You’re so unusual to look at – I can’t find the words I’m looking for. But putting looks aside, I never felt safer than when I was with you. I trusted you implicitly from the start. I knew you wouldn’t let anything happen to me.”

“And I still will not,” he promised. “Now shut up, woman, and come here. I want to kiss you.”

She couldn’t help the small giggle that escaped as he pulled her closer and covered her mouth with his own.


	19. Old Acquaintances

** CHAPTER NINETEEN – OLD ACQUAINTANCES  **

“Thranduil Oropherion!”

Heads lifted and swivelled in the direction of the booming voice that rang across the restaurant.

Kira’s eyebrows rose as she took in the vision making his way in between tables to approach them. The man was relatively tall, not as tall as Thranduil, but still tall in his own right. His long grey hair was pulled back into a low ponytail with strands springing free here, there, and everywhere, and his impressive beard seemed to have a life of its own. Her eyes remained on him until he stood before the couple.

Thranduil rose, instantly towering over the newcomer. “Gandalf,” he welcomed him, holding his hand out.

The man grasped it and gave it a hearty shake. “You are looking well, my friend,” he said with a smile that made his entire face crinkle. Sharp blue eyes shifted to Kira. “And you must be the lovely Kira,” he said. “Gandalf Grey, my dear – at your service.”

Thranduil smirked as he lowered himself back onto the chair. “As theatrical as ever,” he mused. “Gandalf and I go back many years.”

The grey-haired man pulled out a chair and thumped down unceremoniously. “I took the first flight I could after receiving Thorin’s telephone call,” he said. “And I am truly glad that I did. Is this your little one?” His eyes had moved to the car seat which had been placed on the seat next to Thranduil.

He smiled. “Yes. This is Eden.”

Gandalf gazed at the sleeping infant and smiled. “She is adorable,” he murmered. He looked over at the blonde. “And your exact likeness too, I might add. Congratulations to both of you.”

Kira smiled her gratitude.

“Has Thorin told you everything?” Thranduil asked, pouring three glasses of wine. One he handed to their guest, and the other to her. “There you go, my love.”

“I’d better not, in case Eden wakes up through the night,” she said.

He shook his head. “I am only having the one glass, my darling. I will see to her if she awakes.”

Gandalf’s gaze followed the movement as he absorbed their interaction. “Yes. Very disturbing business, I must say. Kira, my dear, you have coped exceptionally well under the circumstances. Your dreadful brother has made your very existence a complete misery.”

She nodded, lowering her gaze to the pristine white tablecloth. “Yes, he has,” she answered. “But I won’t give in to him. I won’t show weakness, and I will _not_ let him do anything to my daughter.”

He nodded, as Thranduil reached over and clasped her hand in his.

“He has somehow managed to find her again, and has been in contact,” the blonde stated. “He called her at the farmhouse, and she panicked.”

Her cheeks burned as Gandalf’s eyes moved to her.

“There is no need for shame, my dear,” he reassured her. “The man is utter scum, I’m afraid. There are no other suitable words to describe him. Carry on, my friend.” He nodded towards Thranduil, who continued.

“He is aware of the relationship between us, and has given her reason to think that I am also in his radar.” He paused. “She’s scared, Gandalf. I need this fixed, and fast.”

“Understandable. I spent the flight doing some research, and some very valuable pieces of information turned up,” the older man told him. “Some _very_ valuable pieces.”

“Such as?”

“Every time your lovely lady filed a complaint with law enforcement, her brother was actively in the area,” he replied as he took a sip of his wine and set the crystal glass back onto the table. “Wherever she was at the time, he was not far away. A little too coincidental, in my mind.”

“He followed me and always managed to find me,” she said. Her cold fingers tightened around Thranduil’s warm ones.

Gandalf nodded. “Why the police didn’t follow up on his whereabouts and how he always managed to be in the vicinity is beyond me,” he grunted. “If they had had a decent look at past reports, they would have seen he was the common denominator. A blatantly obvious point such as that should not have been overlooked or ignored, in my opinion.”

Thranduil’s jaw tightened. “He has to be stopped. I will not have neither Kira nor my daughter living in fear, or being at risk,” he said. An angry tone filtered through his words. “I want you to put everything that you have into this.”

“Of course. I contacted a mutual friend who is flying in tonight; he and I will work together and put an end to this nonsense.”

The blonde’s eyebrows lifted briefly. “Bowman?”

Gandalf grinned. “The one and only,” he said. “I am sure that with our combined experience, we will be victorious in our quest. Relax, both of you. I assure you that this lunatic _will_ be stopped. And soon.”

Kira inhaled deeply and sipped from her wine as her lover absent-mindedly rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand.

“Are you staying at the house with us?” he inquired.

“I thank you for the offer, but I have booked into a hotel in town,” the old man replied. “I think it best that my presence remains as low-key as possible for the time being. If you are being watched and I am seen staying with you, it may well chase him off and we will lose the chance to put an end to this.” He paused, his sparkling eyes full of amusement. “Are we eating here, or merely admiring the décor?”

Thranduil laughed and signalled the waiter over with a flick of two fingers.

*****

“So what exactly does he do?”

“A more fitting question would be what does he _not_ do,” Thranduil said dryly as he emerged from the shower.

Kira’s mouth went dry and her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. With only a towel wrapped low on his hips, water trickled down his bare chest towards his waist. His long hair was still damp, and strong legs carried him across the room towards her as he rubbed it vigorously with a smaller towel.

“He has a finger in a lot of pies,” he continued, unaware of her drooling admiration. His muscles rippled under silky soft skin as he dried his hair. “In fact, he has a whole hand submerged in baked goods.”

She swallowed. “A man of many talents, then?”

“Yes. He is a well of knowledge and experience, and he is the only one I would trust to involve in this carry on,” he replied. He leaned his head forwards and vigorously rubbed his hair with the towel. “The fact that he’s bringing Bowman in also is a good thing for us. Together they will be unstoppable.”

She watched as he lifted his head and flipped it back, tossing his unruly mane down his back. Ice blue eyes met hers. The damp blonde tresses tumbled down over his shoulders, some of it trailing down his chest.

Slow, deliberate steps moved him a little closer.

Her eyes moved to his.

_Lust._

_Sex._

_Hot, hard fucking._

His gaze never wavered as he flicked the knot in the towel around his hips open, allowing the damp fabric to pool around his feet.

Her nostrils flared, but she didn’t look away from his eyes. Ignoring the erratic thumping of her heartbeat, she refused to even blink as he neared her.

He slowly lowered himself to his knees in front of her, his warm hands sliding up the outsides of her thighs as she sat on the bottom of the bed. His chest rose and fell as his breathing deepened. Without speaking, he closed the gap between them and rubbed his soft mouth over hers in an erotic, open-mouthed kiss. His tongue slipped past her lips and slowly explored, and she moaned softly as her body silently responded. Surges of need spiked through her, and her hands lifted of their own accord to settle on his upper arms.

A quick tug pulled her right to the edge of the bed as he deepened the kiss. One hand twisted in her hair and tugged her head back a little. The other slid under the elastic of her knickers and began pulling them down. Her hips shuffled as the tight material eased downwards. Hot kisses trailed down her neck as the underwear slid down her legs and were pulled from her feet, cast aside as though they were toxic.

The shirt he’d worn through the day had found its way into her clutches when he’d gone for a shower, and she’d put it on. He freed the buttons one by one with one hand as the other rubbed light circles on her waist. Soft kisses touched each inch of exposed flesh as he parted the garment and pushed it off her shoulders.

His mouth moved lower, and he shifted on his knees to adjust his position. Holding her knees open, his hot tongue swiped upwards between her thighs, and she gulped air into her lungs. Another swipe. Another gulp. Another lick; slower this time, more sensual. 

Her hands gripped his damp hair as he slowly explored her. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, the sensations of pleasure overtaking every conscious thought.

Tilting his head slightly, his tongue wound around her clitoris and down towards her opening. Warm fluid seeped into his mouth as he pushed inside her, and he smiled to himself. Her hips rose a little in a silent plea to keep going.

He had every intention to.

His hands moved up her arms to her shoulders, where he gently pushed her to lie flat on her back. His soft kisses and licks continued, and her body squirmed in response. Begging him not to stop, she rocked her hips against his hungry mouth to create more friction. Strong hands settled on her waist to hold her in place as he continued to tease and torment her, each flick of his tongue sending her higher. One leg lifted to rest over his shoulder, the movement opening her wider.

He licked her with a little more pressure.

She whimpered.

A little harder.

She whimpered again.

Deciding that there was still a lot more for her to feel, he dragged one hand down over her hip and slowly pushed a finger into the damp heat. She contracted around it immediately with a muttered curse. Taking his time, he pumped in and out of her, changing to two fingers as she bucked in rhythm.

Harsh pants drifted over him, and he chuckled softly against the wet, throbbing flesh. “More, my love?” he whispered erotically.

“Yes,” she gasped. “Yes…please…oh God, yessss…”

Gentle, unhurried movements rubbed his tongue over her clitoris and she squealed and writhed as her senses heightened even further. Both hands clutched the bedsheet into tight fists as she squirmed against him.

He made his mind up that perhaps it was time to let her finish, and gripped her hip harder. Increasing the pressure, he rubbed his tongue harder over her and thrust his fingers faster and deeper into her. Her thighs began to quiver against his shoulders and he knew she was close. Rapid gasps and strangled cries met his ears and he intensified his licks.

Her back arched and she exploded with a garbled shriek. Powerful spasms rocked through her from head to toe, bordering on painful; the pleasure was so intense. She lurched backwards up the bed, and he followed, not relinquishing his grip on her. Tears of passion poured down her face as she fought for air.

Rapid kisses swept up over her torso as he lifted himself over her and positioned himself between her shaking thighs. Soft lips kissed her tears away and she cried out again when he pushed his solid erection into her still-pulsating folds. Hushed whispers of love and encouragement penetrated through the loud buzzing in her ears, his sensual mouth brushing her ear as he spoke. His hands found hers and he held them against the sheet on either side of her head with their fingers entwined.

Steady thrusts prolonged her orgasm and she whimpered helplessly as she clung to him. Her legs crossed over the small of his back with a strength that surprised her, particularly as she felt weakened after what he’d just done to her. The thrusts increased, becoming faster and deeper as he lost himself in the bliss that was the Goddess beneath him. Her welcoming body drove all sense and comprehension from his mind, all rhyme or reason as he chased after his own pleasure.

Kira felt his back beginning to tense, felt his movements falter slightly. She turned her head a little and kissed down his neck. Finding a particularly sensitive area of flesh, she closed her mouth over it and sucked hard; hard enough to bruise.

His body went rigid on top of hers and he growled deeply as he climaxed. Her hips continued to rock against his as he spurted within her, the gush of hot fluid seeming to go on forever. His arms trembled with the effort of holding his weight, waves of both blinding pleasure and exhaustion washing over him.

A surprised squeak burst from her as he quickly flipped over, lying on his back with her sprawled out on top of him, still buried deep inside her, still twitching with the aftershocks. She made to move, but he laid his calves over hers to prevent her from lifting off and closing her legs.

“Stay where you are, sweetheart,” he whispered breathlessly. “I want to stay like this for a while.”

She hummed in contented agreement and ran a hand slowly down his chest. “That was amazing,” she whispered back.

“ _You_ are amazing,” he corrected. A soft kiss touched her forehead. “Relax, my darling.”

She rested her head on his chest and listened to the rapid thump-thump of his heartbeat below her ear. The continuous rhythm soothed her, and she touched a kiss to his heated skin before closing her eyes.

*****

Thranduil breathed evenly as he put the telephone down.

That was the second silent call of the morning, the fourth day since he’d brought her and Eden back, and it bothered him. Each time it had rung, he’d reached it before Kira, only to be met with the static hiss of silence on the line. He knew the calls weren’t meant for him; they were meant for her.

To intimidate her. To frighten her. To increase the state of panic he knew was still controlling her. She thought she was hiding it from him, but he knew from discreetly observing her that it was taking its toll on her. Her hands would shake as she prepared Eden’s bedtime bottle. Her eyes would nervously scan their surroundings. Her lower lip had slight bite marks from where she would sink her teeth into the flesh when anxious.

Every time he noticed, a gentle hand on hers or a soft kiss seemed to reassure her, albeit temporarily. But in his mind, temporarily was better than not at all.

His daughter was blissfully unaware of the stress and worry on her mother’s mind, and continued to charm everyone within her presence. Legolas was completely lost to his sister, as was Tauriel who was spending more and more time at the farmhouse.

He took a deep breath as he turned away from the phone and strode over towards the large patio doors that were open. Kira and Legolas were sitting outside on the grass, enjoying the warm spring sun. Eden was lying on a quilted throw with an umbrella shielding her from the direct light.

“Hey, Dad,” the younger blonde greeted him.

Kira smiled in greeting.

“Is everything ok?” he asked, dropping to squat beside them and placing a soft kiss on her mouth.

She frowned slightly. “Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Just checking,” he told her. “Bard should be arriving any time now. Gandalf is collecting him from the airport.”

She crossed one ankle over the other and rested her weight on her elbows as she lay back on the lush green grass. “I’m kind of interested in meeting this guy,” she said. “From what you’ve told me, he sounds like a right character.”

“He is,” Legolas said with a grin. “If there’s ever an impossible situation, Bard’s the one to figure a way out of it.”

Thranduil _hmm_ ’d in agreement. “I think that he and Gandalf are the best solution to this mess,” he murmered. His gaze was far away. He blinked and looked back at her. “This will all work out, my love. I promise. Trust me.”

“I do,” she replied with a gentle smile.

Eden started kicking her legs in annoyance at not being the focus of her father’s attention, so he carefully lifted her and cradled her against his shoulder. His son smiled as he watched the two of them.

A commotion inside the house drew their attention, and all heads turned as Gandalf appeared in the doorway, muttering and cursing under his breath. A younger man accompanied him, with longish dark hair pulled into a ponytail. A short beard covered the lower half of his face.

“Morning, all,” the stranger greeted them as he held his hand out to Thranduil.

The blonde rose and clasped the hand, pulling him close. “It’s good to see you, my friend,” he told him. “Kira, this is Bard Bowman. Bard…this beautiful lady is Kira. The love of my life and the mother of my daughter.”

The man extracted himself from Thranduil and stepped towards her as she rose to her feet. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, ma’am,” he said with a genuine smile as he shook her hand. “Although Gandalf’s description of you did not do you justice. Thran – you are a lucky man.”

“I know,” he smirked arrogantly. “And this little Princess is Eden.”

Bard grinned as he eyed the youngster, who was watching him with interest. “She’s your-“

“Double. Yes, I know,” he interrupted. “Everyone keeps telling me.”

“How are you, Legolas? Keeping out of trouble?” Bard switched his attention to the youth who was still sprawled out on the grass.

He laughed. “Obviously…I still have at least three terms before I leave uni,” he answered.

“Would it be too much to ask if there was a _remote_ possibility of getting a cup of tea around here?” Gandalf demanded irritably. “Although after what I have endured on these God-forsaken roads I should be considering something much stronger. Like a whiskey. Or a vodka.”

“Or ketamine,” Thranduil muttered under his breath. “Legolas, get your backside up and give me a hand,” he commanded. “Kira, can you take Eden, sweetheart?”

“Sure.” She lifted the child from his arms, and accepted the quick kiss he dropped onto her mouth.

“Let’s get everyone inside, have something to eat and we can discuss the matter at hand,” he said. One hand was placed on her lower back. “After you, my love.”

Bard grinned as he observed, knowing that his friend’s heart had well and truly been won over.


	20. Home Invasion

** CHAPTER TWENTY – HOME INVASION  **

The next twenty four hours flew past.

Thranduil had taken Dwalin’s advice and allowed Fili to install a recording mechanism which would record all telephone conversations. The technology would also track numbers and locations, which Bard had said would be a point on their side.

Bard worked extensively on the security system, adding the latest software and tweaking everything that he felt needed altering. Gandalf spent a lot of time tapping away on the laptop that he seemed to be surgically attached to, and muttered a lot in the process. Kili and Bofur added more cameras around the property, while Bombur and Dwalin double and triple checked every single locking mechanism on the large premises.

“Such a lot of trouble everyone is going to,” Kira murmered sadly as she watched them work.

Legolas opened his mouth to reply, but didn’t get the chance.

Thranduil appeared silently behind her and grasped her shoulders, spinning her around at speed and gripping her upper arms. “ _No-one_ is going to _any_ trouble,” he hissed. “You and our child are worth everything in the world to me, and no expense will be spared in protecting you both. Everyone here is being paid, and paid well. How many times do I have to tell you that I will do _anything_ to keep you safe?” Anger flashed in the ice blue eyes that glared into hers, and she shrunk back slightly.

He sighed regretfully.

“I did not mean to alarm you, my darling,” he said in a softer tone. “I’m sorry.”

She swallowed nervously. “It’s alright…I’m just a bit jumpy, that’s all. It isn’t your fault.”

“I should be trying to reassure you and comfort you, not scare the life out of you,” he said. One hand trailed gently through her hair as his eyes searched hers. “I really am sorry, my darling.”

“Oh Lord, I’m outta here,” Legolas decided as he hauled himself to his feet. “This is heading straight for a PDA situation!”

His father scowled at him as he disappeared into the house, chuckling as he went. “One of these days,” he muttered, then turned back to Kira. “You look tired, my love.”

“I kept waking up through the night,” she admitted.

“I think that perhaps you are fretting and it is disturbing your rest,” he said. “You know that you are safe in my arms.”

She smiled up at him. “I know. And you’ll never know how grateful I am. However…every morning when I wake up, it’s still there. It never goes away.”

“Actually, it just might,” Bard commented from behind the couple. He emerged through the doorway and came to a stop beside them. “I may have uncovered something pretty…what’s the word… _massive_?”

Thranduil frowned. “In what way?”

“Gandalf found a trace through the night and has been following up on it,” the dark haired man told him. “He shared it with me when I met him in the hotel restaurant for breakfast, after which I did some digging on my own. And I have to say – if we’re right on this, it’ll have repercussions that will be felt on the next planet.”

Kira’s eyes darted between the two males. “What’s going on? What have you found?”

Bard’s eyes changed as he looked at her. “We’re following a pattern of his exact whereabouts each time something happened to you, and it certainly looks like it has been him behind all the attacks,” he responded. “With solid proof, he can be arrested and formally charged.”

Thranduil’s gaze never faltered as he contemplated what he was hearing. “Please let me know when you have something,” he said finally. “The sooner we can wrap this up, the better for Kira and our daughter.”

“Of course. Speaking of whom, she’s awake from her nap and is charming the whiskers off Bofur,” Bard said with a grin. “The Oropherion charm strikes again.”

His lover laughed, the sound sending pleasant vibes down his spine.

“I think we should probably go and rescue him,” she said, flashing a grin up at him.

He smiled back as he slid an arm around her waist and tugged her against his side. “I happen to agree,” he concurred. His eyes met Bard’s briefly as they turned to enter the house.

*****

Night had fallen.

Peace and serenity covered the property and the grounds. Owls hooted periodically. Crickets could be heard chirping in the undergrowth. Clear skies revealed a black velvet bed cradling thousands upon thousands of twinkling stars.

Kira was contented. She lay across the couch against Thranduil, her hands placed on top of his as he sat behind her with both arms around her. Eden had settled for the night, and Legolas was out with Tauriel. Warmth seeped from the strong male into her body, relaxing her and making her feel drowsy.

“Are you still awake, my love?” he asked softly as he changed channels with the remote control held in one hand.

“Mmm,” she murmered lazily.

He smiled and kissed the top of her head, lapsing back into silence. The tv changed to a documentary on foxes, and he inhaled deeply as he relaxed. His eyes slowly started to close.

A high pitched beeping made them shoot open again, and his heart began hammering hard.

“Kira! Kira, sit up,” he said urgently, pushing her out of his arms. “The intruder alarm has been tripped!”

Wide awake, she gripped the edge of the couch as she absorbed his words. He moved with the speed of a panther to the control panel located just inside the main door of the house.

“Eden,” she whispered. “Oh my God…Eden!” She shot to her feet and bounded across the polished floor, skidding as she rounded the corner and flew up the stairs two at a time. Her feet pounded heavily along the upper hallway and she bodily crashed into her daughter’s room.

Her precious child lay sound asleep in her crib, completely oblivious to the dread and panic her mother was experiencing.

“Kira! Is she alright?”

She whirled round towards his voice. “Yes! She’s asleep,” she called back. “Are you ok?”

He appeared at the top of the stairs, breathing hard. “I’m going to check outside,” he told her as he shrugged his jacket over his shoulders. “The alarm for the stables has been triggered.”

Her head flipped back towards Eden, before turning back to him. “Don’t leave us here alone,” she whispered. “Please.”

He paused, the jacket half on and half off, his movements halted as he took in the fear and distress in the dark blue eyes which pleaded with him. Tears were already gathering, and he felt his heart crack a little.

“Please, Thranduil – please don’t leave,” she begged, still in a whisper.

He glanced back down the hallway, then back to her again. “I’ll make some calls,” he said with a single nod.

She could have sobbed with relief as he took his cell phone out of his pocket and swiped through the screens. Crossing back into their daughter’s room, she gently lifted her and held her against her chest with her fleecy blanket still wrapped around her.

Thranduil spoke rapidly into the phone, cutting the conversation short and dialling someone else. He changed calls four times, sliding his arm around her shoulders and leading her back down to the ground floor. “Bard and Gandalf are on their way,” he told her as he finished his calls. “They’re in the cinema complex only a few miles from here.”

She nodded. “Ok,” she said shakily.

Warm hands wept up and down the arms that held their child. “Everything will be alright, I promise,” he said. “Thorin and the boys are heading over too. And I’ve called the police. Stay calm, sweetheart – stay with me.”

She nodded as she frantically tried to calm her breathing. “It might not be Kyle,” she said. Looking up into his eyes though, she knew that chances were it probably was. He’d waited long enough before making his move, and it was Judgement Day for her.

And possibly Thranduil and their baby.

“We’ll see what happens when the guys get here. Until then, you stay at my side and do _not_ leave my sight,” he told her. “We won’t have long to wait.” His head whipped round at the sound of another alarm sounding.

“What’s that?” she asked, panicking more.

He cursed under his breath. “The fire alarm,” he answered. Stalking over to the control panel, he cursed angrily. “It’s the stables. The stables are on fire.”

“Oh my God…the horses,” she whispered. Her arms tightened around Eden. “He’s trying to draw you out.”

Cold, angry eyes met hers. “He will not succeed. My horses are worth nothing in comparison to you both. I will not leave you.”

“But they’re worth thousands of dollars,” she whispered tearfully.

“And they are not as important as you both are to me,” he shot back. “Monetary value is not important. Come here.” He held his arm out and she crossed over to lean against him.

“This is all my fault,” she murmered.

“Stop it, right now,” he ordered. “I will not have this discussion. Not now, and not ever.” His arms folded around her and the sleeping infant, and he clenched his jaw as he heard the distant sounds of his horses whinnying in terror.

The minutes dragged by and it felt like forever before they both heard the screech of car tyres outside. He released her and moved quickly to the door, yanked it open and stepped back.

“Thran…Kira…are you both alright?” Bard asked as he barged over the threshold. “What’s happened?”

“The alarm was triggered,” he replied. Kira moved to stand at his shoulder. “And now the fire alarm has been set off. The stables are on fire.”

“Shit!” his friend cursed. “Gandalf and I will sweep the grounds; Thorin and his nephews are on their way, and we’re still trying to reach Dwalin and Bofur. Have you called the cops?”

“Yes,” she said. “The fire department are on their way too.”

“Gandalf, why don’t you stay here with Kira and Eden?” Thranduil suggested. “I can cover more ground, and faster.” He turned to her at her cry of dismay. “You will be perfectly safe, my darling,” he assured her, holding her upper arms. “Gandalf will take care of you.”

“Just be careful, _please_ ,” she begged, with tears in her eyes.

He swooped down and crushed a swift but passionate kiss onto her mouth. “I will. I promise,” he said. His hand tenderly touched his daughter’s hair and he turned away, leaving the house at Bard’s back.

“Come on, my dear,” Gandalf said comfortingly. “Why don’t we go and prepare some tea? I’m sure we could do with a cup or two, and I know the boys will when they all congregate back here.”

She nodded as she sniffed her tears away. “Yeah…that sounds like a good idea.”

“Just show me where everything is, and you have a seat with the little Princess,” he advised. A gentle hand on her back guided her into the impressive kitchen and he pulled out a seat at the table for her.

Outside, both men were covering ground quickly, making their way towards the stables. Flames shot up into the night sky and the air was filled with frantic screeching from the terrified animals trapped inside.

“I can’t see how this bastard managed to get as close!” Bard panted, running full pelt.

“From what Kira tell me, he’s as devious as the Devil himself,” Thranduil replied. He shouldered the stable doors open and instinctively lowered himself to a squat as flames burst out. “Jesus Christ...!”

“Fuck sake, man – a bit of warning would have been the required protocol,” Bard grumbled, throwing himself down face-first. “Damn, it’s a furnace in here.”

The pair crawled into the wooden enclosure on their elbows; Thranduil on the left and Bard on the right. They opened the stalls as they approached each one, having to roll away from pounding hooves as each horse shot out and bolted for freedom. Thick black smoke swirled around and obscured everything in sight.

“Thran! Where are ya?” Bard hollered.

He coughed and spluttered against the acrid stench. “Over here! Two are already dead!”

“Well I hate to add to the bad news buddy, but three on this side didn’t make it either,” he said as he shuffled over to him. “We have to get out of here before the roof-“

No sooner was the beginning of his statement uttered, and the roof started to collapse around them. Timber beams crashed to the floor, sending showers of sparks which ignited the sawdust. Thranduil cursed and rolled over in an attempt to avoid the singeing heat.

*****

“I hope they’re alright out there,” Kira said. Her hand tightened on the coffee mug as her gaze darted over to the dark windows. “I wish I was with Thranduil.”

“He’ll be fine, I promise,” Gandalf said. “He and Bard aren’t stupid; they’ve come through a lot together. They’ve looked out for one another countless times over the years. You have nothing to worry about. Besides, the others can’t be too far away by now.”

“The cops sure are taking their time,” she muttered. “Can you watch Eden for a few minutes? I need to use the bathroom.”

“Of course!” he replied. “Take your time. The little one is perfectly safe.”

She forced a smile as she handed her daughter to his waiting arms. Hurried steps took her from the kitchen and up the large staircase to the upstairs level. She turned lights on as she went, rapidly advancing on the lavish bathroom that was set at the end of the hallway next to two spare bedrooms.

A few minutes later, she quickly dried her hands and opened the door. A scream was quickly stifled by the hand that covered her mouth as she was knocked backwards back into the bathroom.

Kyle glared down at her as he shoved her up against the sink unit. “Fucking bitch,” he snarled. “All the extra muscle in the world can’t stop what’s coming to you!”

She gasped for air as she wriggled against his grip. He grabbed her throat and exerted pressure, cutting off her oxygen supply. Flailing her arms out, she caught the edge of the glass shelf and it crashed onto the tiled floor. Bottles and jars smashed, sending their contents everywhere.

Her brother swore and removed his hand from her mouth, putting both around her throat and squeezing hard. Kira began to feel dizzy and staggered to one side. The momentum dragged him with her, and he lost his footing. Both of them thudded to the floor as he slipped on spilled bath oil.

“You bastard!” he grunted. A solid punch landed on her cheekbone and rocked her head back against the hard floor, and she screamed. A second quickly followed, and he closed his hands over her throat once more.

“Kira? Kira!”

Panicked shouts echoed through the loud thunder in her ears as the world started to go black around her, and she vaguely registered thumping footsteps heading up the stairs.

“Kira!”

Air rushed into her lungs as the pressure suddenly disappeared, and her head thudded back onto the floor. The sound of glass smashing permeated through the thunder, followed by the door crashing open.

“Kira! Kira, it’s me! It’s Bofur! Kira, can you hear me?”

She slowly opened her eyes and tried to focus on the shadow hovering over her. “Eden,” she whispered hoarsely.

“The baby’s fine, love,” he told her. “Are you alright? Was this your brother who did this?”

She nodded weakly. “Where is he?” she rasped.

“He went out the window,” he answered. “Dwalin’s gone outside to search the perimeter. Thorin and the boys are over at the stables with Thranduil and Bard.”

“Kira! Oh my God,” Gandalf’s shocked voice cut in.

She pushed herself into a sitting position with Bofur’s help, and saw him in the doorway cradling Eden, who was awake and sniffling. “It’s ok sweetheart, mama’s ok,” she said. She held her arms up and he carefully passed her over.

“I assume this was your brother?” he asked.

She nodded, kissing the top of her child’s head. “Yes. He must’ve come in through a window somewhere. The doors were all locked.”

“Come on, my dear. The bathroom floor is no place for you to be when your other half comes back,” he told her and extended a hand to help her to her feet. “You need that nasty gash on your cheek seen to.”

Kyle’s punches had split her cheek open, and a steady trickle of blood had streaked down her face. Bofur helped her up on the other side, and the two men accompanied her and Eden back down to the ground floor.

*****

Thranduil collapsed to the dirt as he and Bard cleared the burning stables. Both coughed and gasped for air. Smoke belched from the building which had been consumed by the intense flames.

“Goddammit! I can’t leave you two for a second without you getting into some sort of bloody trouble!” Thorin roared.

Thranduil spluttered as he tried to force air into his dry lungs. His heart hammered in his chest as he breathed, and everything hurt. “It’s about time you got here,” he rasped. “What the hell kept you?”

“Happy to see you too, you long-haired imbecile,” he shot back. “Get up the pair of you for Chrissakes. You can’t do anything more out here.”

“Have you been to the house?” he asked as he painfully got to his feet.

“No, but I can see Bofur running like hell,” Thorin answered.

Bard rose to stand beside the blonde. “Something’s wrong,” he said, his eyes on the approaching figure.

“Bofur? What’s wrong?” Thranduil demanded as he came closer.

“Kira,” he panted, still running. “Kyle got to Kira, and-“

His words went unheard as Thranduil, Bard, and Thorin immediately took off in the direction of the farmhouse, almost breaking the land speed record. Bofur stood gaping in the darkness, dumbfounded that they hadn’t stayed to hear him out.


	21. End Of Days

** CHAPTER TWENTY ONE – END OF DAYS  **

Thranduil crashed through the main doors of the farmhouse, dirty, smelling of smoke, covered in soot and sawdust, and panting like he’d run a marathon.

“Kira!” he roared. “Kira!!”

“Calm down, she’s fine,” Gandalf tried to placate him as he came out of the lounge. “Rest easy, my friend. She is alright.”

He shouldered the older man aside. “I want to see her,” he growled. “Where is she? Where is my daughter?!”

Thorin and Bard shot into the house, and Gandalf turned to them with a beseeching look.

“Best let him be,” Bard advised.

Quick strides carried the tall blonde through to the lounge, where he stopped dead. Kili was walking the floor with Eden, chattering nonsense to her and making her smile and grab his hair. Fili was cleaning a wound on Kira’s cheek, over on the couch.

“My God,” Thranduil whispered. “What happened? Are you alright??” He strode over and almost knocked Fili aside. Strong hands gripped her upper arms as he searched her eyes. “What the hell happened?”

“I went upstairs to use the bathroom, and Kyle was in the house,” she said. “He attacked me as I was coming out.”

Fury flashed over his features and he clenched his jaw. “Where the fuck is he?” he hissed.

“He escaped,” Gandalf told him.

His head whipped round to see him stood in the doorway, while Thorin crossed over to take Eden from his nephew and Bard sat one hip on the back of the opposite couch and folded his arms.

“He escaped?” He released Kira and stood back up, bristling with rage. “He fucking _escaped_?? He was in the house with Kira and my daughter, and he _fucking escaped_?!?” Anger made his voice rise as he yelled.

Kira flinched as he lashed out and punched the wall. The plasterboard immediately caved beneath the force of his fist.

Eden started to whimper softly, and her father’s dazed eyes met Thorin’s.

“There’s a time and a place, my friend,” the dark haired man told him as he rubbed her little back. “And it is not here or now. The girls need to remain calm. They don’t need any further upset than there has already been tonight.”

Thranduil’s chest heaved as he breathed deeply through his nose, fighting the rising urge to punch the shit out of someone. “Where the hell are the cops?” he demanded.

Kili shrugged. “On their way, as far as I know,” he replied.

The blonde turned and his eyes settled on Kira, who was gazing up at him. Fear shone through her dark blue eyes; he could see it as clear as day. The air left him as he sank to his knees on the rug before her and slid his arms around her.

“I am so sorry,” he whispered against her hair. “I am _so_ fucking sorry, baby.”

“It’s not your fault,” she told him, tightening her own arms around his strong shoulders. She took a deep breath, his unique aroma filling her senses and settling her somewhat. “I’m ok.”

He pulled back and lifted her chin with gentle fingers, turning her head. Dark bruises covered her neck where her brother had attempted to strangle her. “The bastard will pay for this,” he vowed. Angry eyes met Bard’s. “He _will_ pay.”

“How are the horses? Any casualties?” Kili asked.

“Some,” Bard replied non-committedly. He didn’t see the need to distress Kira any further at this point. “Most are haring around the field thinking it’s Christmas come early.”

“Small blessings,” Gandalf muttered.

All heads turned as the wail of sirens could be heard in the distance, gradually growing louder.

“Hey-ho, it’s the cavalry,” Bofur announced cheerfully. “About a week too late, but never mind.”

Kili smiled in amusement and shifted from where he’d perched on the arm on the far end of the couch Kira sat on. “I’ll let them in,” he said.

“And I will set about brewing some hot beverages,” Gandalf decided. “God help us – we’ll be needing more than tea and coffee before this night is over.”

Thranduil locked gazes with Bard with a subtle eyebrow lift, but nothing was said. Kira spotted the exchange, and wondered what their silent communication was all about.

*****

The next two hours were draining for everyone involved, but mainly Kira. Thranduil stayed within touching distance the entire time, usually with his arm around her or her hand held tightly in his. Detectives fired off question after question to each person present, while uniform dusted for fingerprints, took photographs, and collected evidence. The fire service had arrived shortly after the police, and succeeded in extinguishing the stable fire. The surviving horses were, as Bard had said, running riot in the fields and having a whale of a time.

By the end of it all, Kira was physically exhausted, and it showed. The police eventually packed everything up and headed out, with the solemn promise that they’d hunt Kyle down and arrest him on sight.

Thranduil remained sceptical.

“Have faith, man,” Fili assured him.

He grunted. “You look shattered, my darling,” he said, turning his attention to his lover. “Why don’t you go upstairs and get settled?”

She gave in and nodded her reluctant agreement.

“Come on – I’ll come up with you,” he said softly. “Guys, I won’t be long. Someone get another round of coffee on.”

“I’d much rather have a decent scotch,” Thorin muttered as he disappeared to fill the kettle.

Thranduil helped Kira to her feet and guided her out of the lounge.

“Goodnight, guys,” she said over her shoulder, and a chorus of replies echoed back.

“Please try not to worry,” he told her as they climbed the stairs. “I suspect the guys will stay here until morning, so you and Eden are perfectly safe, I promise.”

“Are you coming to bed?” she asked.

He opened their bedroom door and ushered her inside before crossing the room to turn on the bedside lamp. “I will, but I want to have a chat with the guys,” he replied. “I won’t be long.” He stopped, turning to her as she stood before him.

She looked small. Fragile. Scared. Hunted. Lost.

“I love you so much,” he whispered. His hands lifted to frame her face. “You could never understand how much, sweetheart. You and Eden are my everything.”

She rose up onto her toes and touched her mouth to his, which opened instantly as he accepted her kiss. “I love you too,” she told him. “Hurry up and come to bed. I’ll heat your side up.” A smile accompanied her words, making him smile despite the grim situation.

“I won’t be too long,” he promised, and dropped a swift kiss on her lips. He turned and left the bedroom, closing the door and hanging his head for a few seconds.

He couldn’t lose her.

He _wouldn’t_ lose her.

*****

“You’ve found something.”

All heads lifted at the statement. And it wasn’t a question; it was a declaration.

Bard nodded slowly. “Yes.”

Thranduil kicked his boots off and padded over to the couch, dropping his weight onto it. “Care to share?”

His friend took a deep breath and glanced at Gandalf, who merely lifted his bushy eyebrows.

“He has to know sooner or later,” he told him.

Thranduil lifted one leg and rested his ankle over the opposite knee. “Come on, Bowman – out with it.”

“I’ve done some digging,” he said. “It’s a good thing you’re sitting down.”

“Just get on with it,” he snapped, irritated. The whole thing was grating on his nerves, and he was feeling tetchier than usual..

“Kira’s brother took out a loan. Quite a substantial amount,” he began. “He sat on it for a while, didn’t spend a single coin. Then he moved the cash.”

Thranduil frowned. “Where to?”

Bard paused. “To the account of one Donald Westmore,” he replied.

“Never heard of him.”

“You have no reason to have,” Gandalf put in as he folded his arms. “He works as a maintenance engineer with an airline company.”

Silence.

“Oh no,” Thranduil whispered.

Bard nodded solemnly.

“Please God…no.”

“I’m sorry, Thran,” Bard said. “I checked the rota call for who was on site when that aircraft was last serviced. Your man was one of the ground team.”

“You’re telling me that the crash was no accident?” Anguish filled ice blue eyes as he battled to comprehend his friend’s words. “It was deliberate?”

Another nod.

“All those people died…”

A slight noise made his head whip round, and his mouth opened in horror as he saw Kira in the doorway. Her face was ashen, and she wobbled slightly as she gripped the doorframe.

Seconds later she collapsed.

*****

“Come on sweetheart, wake up,” Thranduil whispered softly. “Come back to me, my darling.” He held her hands in one of his own, the other gently stroking her cheek. “Come on, my love. I’m waiting for you.”

“Shall I call a doctor?” Fili asked, hovering in the bedroom doorway.

He shook his head. “She fainted, that’s all. She’ll come round.”

“Come on back downstairs, Fil,” Thorin said decidedly. “Give them time and privacy.” He herded his nephew out of sight and closed the door behind himself, leaving Thranduil alone with Kira.

He sat on the edge of the bed where he’d placed her after carrying her upstairs. Concerned eyes watched her face for any flicker of her regaining awareness.

And he waited.

Very slowly, after what seemed like eons had passed, she opened her eyes. Her blurred gaze searched for him, knowing instinctively that he was very close.

“Thranduil?”

“I’m right here, my love,” he answered. “How do you feel?”

“Dizzy,” she whispered. “What happened?”

“You fainted, downstairs.”

She blinked a few times as the room around her gradually came into clearer focus. “I heard what Bard said,” she said softly.

“I’m sorry,” he told her. “That was something that you should have heard from me, not from someone else.”

She swallowed. “Over five hundred people died because of me.” Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes and rolled down her temples. “Families and lives destroyed forever – because of me.”

He shook his head, tightening his grip on her hands. “No. They died because of that psychotic bastard, not because of you. Do not ever think that, Kira, and I mean it. That was _not_ your fault, and I will not have you thinking that it was.”

Dragging a shuddering breath in, she pushed him aside to sit up. “I can’t believe this,” she whispered. “How…how…why kill so many innocent people? He’s desperate to make me suffer, but why take all those passengers out?”

“There is no rationalising his actions, sweetheart,” Thranduil told her gently. “I doubt that they make sense even in his warped mind.”

She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself to a state where she could think. “This is…this is too much…I can’t…”

Strong arms wrapped tightly around her and pulled her sideways against his chest. “If I had my way, you probably would not have found out about this,” he admitted. “I thought you’d gone to bed, otherwise I wouldn’t have pressed Bard for what he knew.”

Her hands clutched fistfuls of his shirt in a desperate, frightened grip. “I knew that he knew something,” she said. “I had that feeling the other day when he said he’d found something massive. I felt that he changed his story at the last minute; I just didn’t know why.”

“He wanted to protect you for as long as possible,” he answered. “Like myself, he did not feel that telling you would do you any good. I think he perhaps thought it was best that you didn’t know.”

“I had to know, sooner or later,” she reasoned. Pulling back to look at him, tear-filled eyes held his. “You can’t keep something like this from me.”

He tilted his head slightly in acknowledgement. “I could not lie to you,” he agreed. “If you had asked outright, I could not have told you an untruth.”

Weary and broken, she rested her head against his shoulder. Warm hands lovingly and tenderly rubbed up and down her back.

“What do we do now?” she wondered aloud.

His chest expanded against hers as he took a deep breath. “Bard and Gandalf have gone to the police precinct with what they know. It now becomes a waiting game until they can arrest him and charge him with multiple homicide.”

A shudder rippled up her back, and his arms tightened around her in response.

“Everything is going to be alright,” he promised

She remained silent, unsure of what was to come.

*****

“Hey Dad, wake up!”

Thranduil mumbled groggily as he forced his eyes open. They burned like hell after only an hour’s sleep, and his arm was numb as Kira had drifted off curled against him. He squinted as Legolas bounced on the edge of the bed beside him.

“What the hell…”

“Dad – you have to wake up,” he insisted. “The cops! They arrested Kira’s brother!”

“What?” He pinged wide awake. “When? Where? How?”

Beside him, she stirred and began to waken.

“About two hours ago,” his son replied. “They got him heading back this way, and he was carrying a gun. With no permit to carry a firearm, they grabbed him on that and are working through the rest right now. The detective called and spoke to Bard a few minutes ago.”

“They’ve got him?” Kira repeated, still half-asleep. “They’ve finally got him?”

“Yes, and they won’t be letting him go,” Thranduil told her.

“They almost didn’t let _me_ go,” Legolas huffed. “They stopped me as I was coming back, demanding proof of who I was and everything. I was beginning to wonder what had happened here.”

“At least they’re doing their job,” his father replied. “What time is it?”

“Heading for half past four,” he answered. “Sun’s up in a few hours.”

“Fucking hell,” he muttered, thumping his head back onto the pillow.

“Go back to sleep,” Legolas advised, getting up from the bed. “We’ll keep you posted as we hear anything.”

“Like fuck,” Kira grumbled, kicking away the quilt that Thranduil had pulled over her as she’d drifted off to sleep. “I need coffee. Now.”

“Baby, it’s the middle of the night,” he whined as she took off out of the room. “Urghhh…” His feet hit the floor with a thud and he resigned himself to the fact that she wasn’t about to settle while her future was being decided by a bunch of strangers.

Legolas chuckled as he took in his dishevelled state. “Might as well join everyone else downstairs,” he suggested cheerfully. “Although I may have to go out to the all-night store down on Third for some more coffee. The guys have almost finished what was in the cupboard.”

“Get out of here,” his father spat. “Give me some breathing room, for crying out loud. I’ll be down in a minute, once I get my bearings and check on Eden.”

“She’s as sound as a pound,” Kira told him, sticking her head back around the door. “I’m going to make some coffee…maybe scramble an egg or two.”

“Fuck sake…hold that thought, I’m coming,” he said. “I do not fancy having the kitchen go up in flames as you attempt to cremate eggs.”

His son hooted and shot down the stairs at the angry glare shot in his direction.

By the time daylight began to bleed across the dark sky, those in the farmhouse had drunk enough coffee to float a cruise liner, and Legolas had obligingly gone out to the twenty-four hour store for more. He was sitting with Kili playing a game on his laptop, and Fili was dozing curled up in the armchair. Bard and Thorin were debating something that didn’t hold Thranduil’s attention, and he sat talking with Kira, Bofur, and Gandalf. Eden was still fast asleep in her crib, which they’d brought downstairs.

A sharp knock halted all conversation, and the blonde rose from his seat to open the door.

“Morning, Detective,” he greeted the suited man on his doorstep. “Come in. What can we do for you?”

“It’s more a case of what I can do for you,” he answered. His gaze settled on Kira, who reminded Thranduil of a deer caught in headlights as she stared at the officer. “You can rest easy, ma’am – your brother is _not_ going to see the light of day. Ever.”

She visibly deflated, her breath leaving her with a _whoosh._ “What’s going to happen?” she asked.

Thranduil went back to her and stood behind her, both hands placed on her shoulders.

The detective took a seat. “Thanks to _your_ information-” he looked pointedly at Bard and Gandalf “-of which I have no desire to know exactly how you came about said information, we followed the trail of money. And you were correct; it led us straight to Donald Westmore. His activity was sketchy to say the least, but we’ve tied the cash transfer in and have solid proof. Evidence is being examined by the airline company as we speak, and if it proves your theory correct, then Kyle is being charged with an act of terrorism.”

A hushed silence settled over everyone.

“Ms Wells…I have to inform you – and this isn’t easy,” he continued after a pause. He leaned forwards and rested his elbows on his knees, hands clasped together. “If your brother is convicted, he’s looking at the death penalty.”

She nodded. “I have no issues with that,” she responded. “He’s not the brother I grew up with. He’s a stranger, and one who pulled out all the stops to make sure my child and I didn’t survive. Do what you have to do.”

Thranduil’s hands slowly massaged her shoulders in silent comfort.

“I just needed to make myself clear on that point,” the detective continued. “There’s no turning back from here onwards. We have him on a hundred different violations, from trespassing, assault, arson, attempted murder, you name it. But if the evidence _does_ point to him being behind that flight going down, and I can bet that it does, then it’s game over.”

“Justice will be served,” Thranduil spoke up. “And not only for Kira and our daughter, but also for the hundreds of people who are no longer with us through his actions, and their families who have suffered immeasurable grief and sorrow. We will shed no tears on his behalf; you can be assured of that.”

Heads nodded collectively around the room.

“Well, I’d best be making tracks,” the officer decided, standing up again. “I’m in sore need of some breakfast from the diner down on the corner by the cinema, and their coffee is out of this world. I’m not going home until I hear something positive back from the airline, then I’ll be sending a specialist team in to investigate further. Y’all have a good day, now.”

Gandalf rose and accompanied him through the house, leaving a lounge of friends all stunned into silence by what they’d learned in the last few minutes.

“It’s over, my darling,” Thranduil said, moving to his lover’s side. “It’s finally over.”

*****

_Six months later._

Eden squawked indignantly as her father deftly lifted her and deposited her into her high chair, fastening the straps at speed before she could wriggle free. Tiny fists thumped off the table section as she roared her frustration.

“Lunch first, my Precious,” he told her soothingly. “Then we can play.”

She screeched in angry response.

Kira pulled her mouth in as she struggled to hold her amusement in.

“If she sees you laughing, my darling, she _will_ continue,” he told her in a dry tone. “Kids play off an audience. You know that.”

She grinned as she pushed herself away from the doorway and entered the kitchen. “I know. But it’s really hard to keep a straight face when she’s in full-blown temper mode.”

He stood up to his full height and gazed down at her. “Are you alright?”

Kyle had been found guilty on a unanimous verdict the previous day, and had been moved to death row to await his fate.

“Yes. I’m actually at peace now, I know that must sound a bit harsh.”

“Not at all,” he said. “Given what you’ve been through over the years, I understand completely. I just wanted to make sure that you weren’t harbouring any of those crazy guilt-feeling-thingys that you have a habit of creating for yourself.”

Her grin widened. “Nope. I’ve been too busy lately.”

“Oh?” He turned away from her and began to spoon his daughter’s lunch into a small feeding bowl. “Doing what?”

“Making you something.”

“What?”

She pressed herself against his back and slid her arms around his waist. “Making you a Daddy again,” she whispered.

His body froze.

Setting the utensils onto the worktop, he slowly turned back to her. “Making me a what?”

Dark blue eyes gazed up into his. “Thranduil, I’m pregnant,” she said softly.

Silence.

She jumped and squealed as he moved suddenly, lifting her and spinning around to sit her on the worktop.

“Are you _serious_?!”

“Yes!” she cried. “I’m pregnant!”

“Oh my God…h…how…” he stammered.

“Uh…usually a guy gets a hard-on and-“

“I _know_ how it works, dammit!” he laughed. “Honestly? We’re having another baby?”

She nodded, small tears escaping despite her elated grin. “Yes. We’re having another baby.”

He grabbed her hair and tugged her close, crushing her mouth under his. “I love you so much,” he mumbled against her lips. “So fucking much, Kira. I love you.”

“And I love you a million times more,” she whispered into his mouth.

Eden chose that moment to let out a window-shattering scream of annoyance, determined to gain her parents’ attention.

“We’re going to have our hands full,” Kira chuckled, pulling back to gaze into Thranduil’s tear-filled eyes.

He rested his forehead against hers. “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it is, a happy ending for our couple who met by pure fate.  
> Heartfelt thanks to all my readers, commenters and lurkers - you all know who you are. And Wenderful - this was for you, for being you 💖
> 
> I'll be back soon with another Thranduil story, but I'm not sure of the exact timing. Once I'm ready to post something, I'll put a shout out on tumblr, and anyone who's subscribed to me will receive an email. Hope to see you all there, and keep Thranduil-ing x


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